Hungary's parliament suspends PM Magyar's immunity in phone case

The Hungarian parliament on September 28 voted to suspend the parliamentary immunity of Prime Minister Peter Magyar. The decision opens up the possibility of continuing criminal proceedings related to a mobile phone incident in Budapest in 2024.

Telex reports this.

139 deputies voted in favor of suspending Magyar's immunity. There were no votes against or abstentions. Deputies from Fidesz and KDNP did not participate in the extraordinary parliamentary session.

Magyar himself was present at the session. Before the vote, he stated that he had not committed a crime, but was ready to answer for his actions. Earlier, the prime minister himself had called on parliament to suspend his immunity so that the case could be considered in the normal procedural order.

The criminal proceedings are connected to an incident that occurred on June 21, 2024, at the Ötkert club in Budapest.

According to the investigation, during a conflict with a man who was filming him on a phone, Magyar took the mobile device and subsequently threw it into the Danube. The phone was later found by divers.

Magyar denies that he committed a crime.

The Hungarian Prosecutor General's Office asked parliament to suspend his immunity on September 22. The agency explained that only after this does the legal obstacle disappear for conducting investigative actions directly in relation to the deputy.

The parliament's decision itself does not mean that Magyar will automatically be recognized as a suspect or that he will be charged. After the suspension of immunity, investigators can carry out the necessary procedural actions and, if there is sufficient evidence, interrogate him as a suspect.

This case dates back to when Magyar was a member of the European Parliament. In 2024, the Hungarian prosecutor's office already tried to get his immunity lifted, but the European Parliament did not do so. After Magyar transferred to the Hungarian parliament in May 2026, the investigation was resumed.

Along with Magyar, parliament on the same day suspended the immunity of two other deputies - former Minister of Culture and Innovation Balázs Hankó and KDNP representative Miklós Seszták. Their cases are related to separate suspicions of corruption crimes.