Hungarys anti-corruption drive arrests former Orbán minister, targets Fidesz network

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced on Wednesday that his government’s anti-corruption drive, “Operation Czyściec,” had reached the “innermost circles” of the Fidesz political-economic network tied to former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
The announcement followed the arrest of Miklós Seszták, a former minister in Orbán’s government, on suspicion of involvement in public fund misappropriation. Prosecutors also sought the detention of another ex-minister and current Fidesz lawmaker, Balázs Hankó, over the alleged embezzlement of more than 17 billion forints (€46.3 million) in public funds .
Magyar stated that the operation aims to dismantle a political-economic network that “permeated everything,” recover stolen public funds, and hold accountable those who had long evaded justice. He called Wednesday a “milestone” for Hungary’s renewal and predicted that the coming weeks would reveal whether Fidesz figures would break their “omertà” silence or testify against the operation’s alleged masterminds .
The government pledged to protect investigators, prosecutors, judges, and staff of the National Bureau for Asset Recovery and Protection (NVVH), a key institution under “Operation Czyściec” tasked with reviewing past public contracts, state grants, concessions, EU funds, and state-owned company transactions. The NVVH was established as part of broader anti-corruption reforms announced in Parliament in June .
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