Hungarian prosecutors said on Tuesday that Balázs Hankó, former minister of culture and innovation in ex-Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s cabinet, has been detained on suspicion of embezzling funds from the National Cultural Fund (NKA).
According to investigators, Hankó, who also headed the fund, took part in creating a “dual system” for allocating grants. Formal decisions were made by the Temporary Board for Priority Cultural Programs, while the actual decisions were taken by the minister himself or people linked to him, even though the law barred him from evaluating individual applications.
Between September 3, 2025, and March 30, 2026, the fund awarded 1,079 grants for purposes not permitted by law, prosecutors say. The loss to the budget is estimated at 17.3 billion forints (about €47 million). Investigators claim some of the money went to organizations and artists tied to Fidesz, including events for the 2026 election campaign.
Parliament lifted Hankó’s parliamentary immunity on Monday. That evening he was taken into custody at the National Tax and Customs Administration and questioned as a suspect. The politician denies any wrongdoing and calls the case politically motivated.
The NKA investigation began after allegations of opaque distribution of billions of forints. In the summer police carried out raids, including at offices linked to Fidesz servers. Other fund officials had already been detained in the same case.
The same day another former Orbán cabinet minister, Miklós Seszták, was detained on suspicion of bribery in a separate case. Current Prime Minister Péter Magyar called the detentions an important day when “millions of Hungarians first saw what equality before the law means.” Fidesz describes the proceedings as political persecution.
