The Hungarian prosecutor's office has asked parliament to lift the immunity of Prime Minister Peter Magyar, which has left the new government in Budapest facing its first serious legal case involving its leader.
The request is related to a separate criminal proceeding for an incident from 2024. According to the Hungarian prosecutor's office, this is a case that was already the subject of a procedure to lift Magyar's immunity when he was an MEP.
The new circumstance is that after the parliamentary elections in April 2026, Magyar is no longer a member of the European Parliament, but a member of the Hungarian National Assembly and Prime Minister of country.
From MEP to Prime Minister
Peter Magyar became Viktor Orbán's main political rival after leaving the ruling circle around “Fidesz“ and founded the “Tisa“ party.
In the parliamentary elections in April 2026, “Tisa“ won a convincing majority, ending Orbán's 16-year rule. Magyar took office as prime minister in May.
He had previously been at the center of a controversy over his parliamentary immunity as an MEP.
The European Parliament refused in October 2025 to strip him of immunity at the request of the Hungarian prosecutor general. MEPs were examining the case in connection with an allegation of the alleged theft of a mobile phone after an incident at a nightclub in Budapest.
The mobile phone incident
According to the description of the Hungarian authorities, cited in the European Parliament documents, the incident took place in June 2024.
A man filmed a Hungarian woman with his phone in a nightclub. After an argument, the politician took the phone, put it in his pocket and left the scene. Proceedings were opened in the case for the alleged theft of a small item.
However, the European Parliament decided not to lift his immunity. In its reasons, the institution indicated that there were grounds to assume a possible fumus persecutionis — a term used for the presence of specific indications that the criminal proceedings may be aimed at affecting the political activity of the MEP.
This decision does not mean that the European Parliament has established innocence or examined the case on the merits. The parliament itself explicitly states that the immunity procedure does not turn it into a court and that the MP cannot be considered an accused based solely on this procedure.
Now it's up to the Hungarian Parliament to decide
After Magyar became Prime Minister and a member of the national parliament, the rules are different.
According to Hungarian law, criminal proceedings against a MP cannot be initiated or continued without the prior consent of the National Assembly, unless his immunity is voluntarily waived.
This means that the prosecutor's current request must go through new parliamentary procedure.
The case therefore does not automatically mean that Magyar will be indicted or that he will be removed from office. The first step is for parliament to decide whether to allow the prosecution to continue the proceedings.
The new case comes against the backdrop of an anti-corruption campaign
The request for Magyar's immunity comes at a time when the new government is conducting a series of investigations into actions related to Viktor Orbán's rule.
In September, the prosecution was investigating alleged corruption surrounding public procurement for buses. One of Hungary's richest businessmen, Daniel Jellenik, has been questioned in connection with the investigation. Reuters reported that police and prosecutors have raided several locations and questioned suspects.
The Hungarian government has presented the raids as part of its efforts to uncover alleged abuses under Orban.
Meanwhile, former representatives of “Fidesz“ deny the allegations. In another recent case, involving former Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, Hungarian authorities have launched an investigation into the use of private jets. Representatives of the previous administration said that the trips were made in accordance with the current rules.
The political context remains sensitive
The Magyar immunity case is also significant because of the unusual political transformation in Hungary.
Just a year earlier, he was the main opposition leader and Orbán's most serious competitor. The Hungarian authorities then asked the European Parliament to lift his immunity, and Magyar said that the proceedings against him were politically motivated.
Today, the roles have been reversed: Magyar is prime minister and Orbán is in opposition.
This makes the prosecutor's current request particularly sensitive, as it is the first time such a procedure affects Magyar as head of government.
What's next
The prosecutor's request will be followed by a parliamentary procedure in which MPs must decide whether to suspend the immunity of premiere.
The request itself does not establish guilt. It allows the prosecution to continue criminal proceedings if parliament approves the lifting of immunity.
For Magyar, this is the first serious test in which his new power must confront the very institutions that his government inherited from the previous administration.
The case also shows how quickly the political landscape in Hungary has changed: the man who was protected by the European Parliament as an opposition MEP just a year ago is now the prime minister whose immunity the Hungarian prosecution wants to be lifted.
Sources: Reuters, European Parliament