Fidesz leadership has defended former Hungarian Minister for Culture and Innovation Balazs Hanko ahead of a parliamentary vote on whether to lift his parliamentary immunity.
According to a report published on 26 September 2026, Parliament is due to consider the matter on 28 September in connection with a case concerning the National Cultural Fund (NKA). The case relates to the financing of cultural projects carried out during Hanko’s time in government.
Fidesz described the investigation as an expression of “neo-Communist arbitrariness” and said it was absurd to treat funding for completed cultural projects as possible misuse of public money. The party also warned that people who, in its view, act against Hanko could themselves be held accountable in the future after the “restoration of the rule of law by national forces”.
Hanko has rejected the suspicions and described the proceedings as politically motivated.
The supplied material characterises Fidesz’s warnings as pressure on investigators and an attempt to influence procedural decisions. It also says that the party’s public defence of Hanko before the investigation has concluded could undermine the criminal proceedings and protect the former minister from prosecution. These are assessments contained in the source material, rather than independently verified findings.
The source further states that Fidesz representatives have described the investigation as “political arbitrariness” and a “witch hunt”, while acknowledging that they do not have all the details of the case. It says prosecutors have reported suspicions and available evidence concerning the improper use of NKA funds.
