Politics & Governance
Hungarian prosecutors raid Fidesz servers in corruption investigation
Hungarian prosecutors raided data servers used by Viktor Orban's Fidesz party as part of an investigation into alleged corruption.
Fidesz said in a Facebook statement that investigators from the prosecutor's office arrived without warning at the data centre hosting the party's servers and intended to seize its communications system and databases.
Marianna Bodo, spokeswoman for prosecutors in Bacs-Kiskun County in southern Hungary, said prosecutors were carrying out a criminal investigation linked to the National Cultural Fund over suspected embezzlement and other offences. She said no further details would be released because doing so would harm the ongoing investigation.
Blikk, a tabloid described in the report as close to Fidesz, said prosecutors were carrying out the operation at Hungarian Telekom's data centre in Budapest. The newspaper said Fidesz's internal communications database, including its email infrastructure, was examined in the presence of the party's lawyers.
Fidesz said there had been no precedent for such an operation in Hungary since the end of communism in 1990. Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on Facebook that he had learned of the alleged raid from the former governing party.
Magyar's Tisza party won April elections on a promise of “regime change” and secured a two-thirds parliamentary majority. After the election, actor, rapper and activist Aron Molnar publicly alleged that the National Cultural Fund had acted as a state-run payment agency for members of Fidesz's inner circle.
According to a previous prosecutor's statement, the tax authority found that the fund's decision-making body had issued 1,079 grants worth more than 17 billion forints, or about $54 million, in breach of the rules. In June, six people were accused of embezzlement and taken into custody, including Fidesz politician Balazs Bus, who had served as the fund's vice-president.
Magyar's government has passed anti-corruption measures and changed the constitution in a way that effectively bars Orban from running again. It has also moved against several figures allied with Orban, including former president Tamas Sulyok, who was removed by constitutional amendment on Sunday. Fidesz has described Magyar's actions as autocratic.
The report said Magyar's reform programme has improved relations with the European Union, which had been strained under Orban, and that his anti-corruption measures are seen as important to unlocking 16 billion euros, or about $18.3 billion, in EU funds frozen over rule-of-law concerns. The governing majority has also approved an overhaul of public media, which the report said had become a de facto Fidesz mouthpiece under Orban.
Update
Prosecutors in Bacs-Kiskun County said the criminal case concerns the National Cultural Fund and suspected embezzlement and other offences.
Blikk reported that the operation took place at Hungarian Telekom's data centre in Budapest and that Fidesz's internal communications database, including email infrastructure, was examined in the presence of party lawyers.
The tax authority previously found 1,079 grants worth more than 17 billion forints were issued in violation of rules, according to a prosecutor's statement.
Six people were accused of embezzlement and taken into custody in June, including Fidesz politician Balazs Bus.
The report adds wider political context about Prime Minister Peter Magyar's anti-corruption measures, constitutional changes, moves against Orban-allied figures, EU funds and public media reform.
Source note: AFP news report published on 21 July 2026 at 15:30:25 UTC.
Update
Fidesz said investigators arrived unannounced at the data centre hosting its servers and intended to seize its communications system and databases.
The Bacs-Kiskun County Prosecutor's Office said the case concerned the National Cultural Fund and alleged embezzlement and other offences.
The prosecutor's spokeswoman said no further information would be released because it could compromise the investigation.
The exact Fidesz facility in Bacs-Kiskun County that was raided was not immediately clear.
Fidesz claimed there had been no precedent for such an action in Hungary since 1990.
Peter Magyar said he learned of the alleged raid from Fidesz.
The source adds background on the National Cultural Fund investigation, including alleged grant-rule violations and earlier custody of six people, including Balazs Bus.
The source adds context on Magyar's post-election anti-corruption and constitutional measures, EU funding, and public media changes.
Source note: AFP news report published on 21 July 2026 at 13:23:49 UTC.
Update
Hungarian prosecutors said the raid was part of an investigation into alleged corruption.
A prosecutor's office spokeswoman said the investigation was connected with the National Cultural Fund and concerned alleged embezzlement and other criminal offences.
The spokeswoman said no further information would be provided because it could compromise the ongoing investigation.
The source adds that it was not immediately clear which Fidesz facility in Bacs-Kiskun County was raided.
Prime Minister Peter Magyar said he learned of the alleged raid from Fidesz and was awaiting a prosecutor's office statement.
The source adds context about Magyar's election victory, anti-corruption measures, constitutional changes, EU funding, and public media overhaul.
Source note: AFP news report published on 21 July 2026 at 12:48:34 UTC.
Update
Prime Minister Peter Magyar said he learned of the alleged raid from Fidesz and was awaiting a statement from the prosecutor's office.
Magyar's Tisza party won the April elections with a two-thirds parliamentary majority on a promise of regime change.
The government has passed anti-corruption measures and changed the constitution in a way the source says effectively bars Viktor Orban from running again.
Source note: AFP news report published on 21 July 2026 at 12:14:48 UTC.
Update
Fidesz said investigators intended to seize the party's entire communications system and databases.
Fidesz claimed there had been no precedent for such action in Hungary since 1990, the end of communism.
Prime Minister Peter Magyar's Tisza party won a two-thirds parliamentary majority in April on a promise of regime change.
Magyar's government has passed anti-corruption measures and changed the constitution in a way that effectively bars Viktor Orban from running again.
Fidesz has described Magyar's moves as autocratic.
Source note: AFP news report published on 21 July 2026 at 11:59:04 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
Prosecutors did not provide further details about the ongoing criminal investigation.
The full scope and outcome of the server operation were not stated.
Source
AFP news report published on .