Hungarian police investigate Orbán's oligarchs, former PM admits defeat

After a crushing defeat in the parliamentary elections on April 12, Orbán's 16-year government is collapsing in a legal sense as well. Péter Magyar's new government took power at a moment when the Hungarian police are intensively investigating companies linked to Orbán on suspicion of corruption and money laundering. Bank accounts were frozen and funds seized from businesses that had dominated lucrative state communication contracts during Orbán's government. svet.sme.sk ↗

Orbán himself has publicly admitted a crushing defeat for his Fidesz party. In a closed Facebook group, he declared that Fidesz, in its current form and in the role of opposition, is not capable of restoring the Hungarian right. He described the election result as an earthquake. He is also aware that he himself faces serious legal threats — according to Median polls, a significant portion of Hungarians would like to see him in court. Lawyers have unanimously stated that Orbán could be caught up by the consequences. pravda.sk ↗

The oligarchs of Orbán's regime are saving their assets. Businessman Gyula Balásy, who grew rich on state propaganda and was close to Fidesz, donated his companies worth more than five billion crowns to the state — he claims this is not an admission of guilt. Similarly, leading figures of the regime are trying to move assets abroad, and part of Orbán's inner circle is already panicking. The party's propaganda apparatus, Megafon, is facing financial collapse and cutbacks, with the bulk of it moving out of its office premises. ta3.com ↗

At the same time, the Hungarian police are investigating the purchase of Hungary's most-read daily newspaper by a group close to the outgoing government. The antitrust authority is examining the transaction in which the Swiss publishing house Ringier was bought by Indamedia Network, a company linked to the regime. Brussels and members of the European Parliament have called Orbán a "disease" of Europe. Liberal MEPs speak of his fall as a "vaccine" and express hope that Tisza will remove Orbán's position as the Kremlin's horse within the Union. novinky.cz ↗

Meanwhile, Ukraine has thanked Hungary for returning gold and cash that had been seized during tensions between the two countries. The news was announced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who stressed its importance for relations between the two countries. The new Hungarian prime minister is signaling a different approach — in talks with the Ukrainian leader, he indicated that, unlike Orbán, he is willing to actively seek an agreement on the issue of the rights of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia and similar disputes. SITA ↗

The new prime minister is signaling a change of course. Magyar has declined the protection of the Hungarian Counter-Terrorism Centre TEK, an elite unit founded by Orbán's former personal security officer, and is relying on standard police protection instead. He also credited the election victory in part to a documentary film that allowed voters to learn about his program despite state propaganda. SITA ↗