Hungary’s government led by Prime Minister Péter Magyar is planning extensive reviews of the assets of both current and former political leaders. The tax and customs authority, NAV, is to receive powers to scrutinize the origins of assets going back as far as 20 years, cross-checking them with declared incomes, asset declarations, and the politicians’ lifestyles. These checks will also extend to the property of their relatives. The necessary legislation still requires parliamentary approval.
This new system is part of a set of anti-corruption measures introduced by the administration that took office after the April elections, ending Viktor Orbán’s sixteen-year rule. Magyar emphasized that the goal is not political retaliation but rather to verify whether public officials’ assets are consistent with their legitimate incomes.
Checks may reach 20 years into the past
The standout feature of the proposed system is its broad temporal scope.
Under the government’s plan, NAV would be empowered to review the finances of affected politicians up to 20 years retroactively.
The investigation will not be limited to disclosures in asset declarations. NAV will examine real estate, bank accounts, business stakes, insurance, investments, and other relevant assets, which it will then compare with declared and taxed income.
Applies to ministers, MPs, and prime ministers
The system is intended to include members of parliament, prime ministers, ministers, state secretaries, government commissioners, and other high-ranking officials.
The checks will also apply to individuals whose government or political positions ended within the past five years. This means the scope reaches beyond just the current Magyar administration.
For current officials, automatic checks would begin two years after taking office.
If a member of parliament or government resigns or is dismissed, NAV would begin an investigation within 30 days under the proposed rules.
Relatives’ assets to be scrutinized
Checks are not to be limited to the politicians themselves.
According to the draft, investigations may extend to family members’ property as well. NAV will also investigate cases where assets were transferred to another person or company.
The aim is to uncover situations in which the official ownership of assets does not reflect who truly uses or finances them.
Difference between income and assets is decisive
NAV will compare the assets found and the lifestyle of officials with their officially declared and taxed income.
If no discrepancies are found, the case will be closed.
If there is a significant mismatch indicating untaxed or illegal income, a detailed tax audit will follow.
If there is suspicion of a criminal offense, NAV can refer the case to law enforcement agencies, the prosecutor, or the police.
Audit results to be partially public
The system also provides for regular publishing of statistics.
NAV will release monthly reports on the number of audits conducted, the number of cases flagged for possible criminal violations, and the number of detailed tax reviews initiated.
If a senior official is definitively found to owe at least five million forints in taxes, the government proposal requires that their name, position, and amount of the overdue tax be publicly disclosed.
Aktualizovane.sk has previously reported on investigations into companies linked to the era of Viktor Orbán’s government over suspicions related to public procurement contracts.
Magyar denies move is political revenge against Orbán allies
Péter Magyar stated that the new system is not intended to serve as political revenge against the former government.
According to the prime minister, the audits should be handled professionally by NAV and the rules should apply to current, former, and future holders of top political offices.
Political tensions are nevertheless inevitable. These measures come just months after Magyar’s Tisza party replaced Viktor Orbán’s government and began reviewing several of its predecessor’s decisions.
Hungary already auditing other decisions from previous government
The new asset investigations are not the sole move by Magyar’s administration.
Hungarian authorities are also reviewing costly foreign trips made by former foreign minister Péter Szijjártó, and the government plans legal action over a major highway concession signed during Orbán’s time in office.
Hungary has also established mechanisms to review some privatizations of public assets.
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The final form of these audits will be determined by the Hungarian parliament. The government has announced that it intends to submit the necessary bill to parliament without delay, so the exact powers of NAV and procedural rules could change during the legislative process.
If the proposal passes as announced, Hungary will have a system for comparing politicians’ assets with their official incomes covering up to two decades.
This article was translated from the original Slovak version with the assistance of AI.
