Hungary will begin checks on the financial situation of senior state and political figures, Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced. According to Hungarian and international media, the government is preparing legislative changes to strengthen control over the income and assets of the country's elite.
Magyar, who came to power with promises of a stricter fight against corruption and more transparency, points out that attention will be focused mainly on current politicians and former officials from the previous administration. According to published reports, the idea is to establish whether declared income and assets correspond to the real financial situation.
What is known so far
At this point, it is clear that the initiative is presented as a political and legislative move by Magyar's cabinet. Separate publications report that the inspections will cover a wide range of senior state officials, including figures associated with the government of Viktor Orbán. At the same time, not all details of the mechanism by which the inspections will be carried out, nor the final text of the possible law, have been made public.
The topic comes against the backdrop of long-standing criticism of Hungary for corruption risks and insufficient control over public funds. The European Union has in the past frozen some of the funds for Budapest precisely because of concerns related to the rule of law and anti-corruption measures, international publications recall.
The political background
Peter Magyar positioned himself as the antithesis of the previous government and made the fight against corruption one of the key themes in his campaign. The new initiative to check the assets of senior officials fits precisely into this line and is likely to increase tensions between the new government and circles associated with former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
It is not yet clear whether the measure will lead to specific investigations or sanctions. For now, it has only been confirmed that Magyar's cabinet is preparing stricter control over the assets of senior figures in Hungarian politics and administration.
Sources: Interfax, Associated Press, Caliber.Az, OBOZ.UA