A report has been filed with the Budapest Investigative Prosecutor’s Office against Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar over allegations of blackmail and violence in an intimate relationship. The complainant is István Tényi Jr., a former member of the ruling Fidesz party and a public activist.
The report was filed following statements by Magyar’s former wife, Judit Varga, before a parliamentary committee. She claimed that during their marriage, Magyar had threatened her for around a year and a half and had used a secretly recorded audio file as a means of pressure. According to Varga, he threatened to file a report against her and have her imprisoned.
“He constantly threatened to destroy me and put me in prison with audio recordings,” Varga said.The former justice minister described the recording as manipulated. The audio material is connected to a conversation about the Schadl–Völner case, which shook Hungary’s political system and led to a prolonged dispute between the former spouses. Varga said that if Magyar had considered the recording decisive evidence, he should not have waited until March 2024 to make it public.
The Prosecutor’s Office will determine whether there are grounds for an investigation
The report calls for possible evidence of blackmail and violence in an intimate relationship to be examined. Tényi points out that the threats described by Varga could be relevant to criminal proceedings, but the final assessment lies with the Prosecutor’s Office.
“Magyar threatened Varga with criminal prosecution, imprisonment and the possibility of being placed in an unfavorable public, professional and political position,” the submission states, as quoted by Magyar Nemzet. The publication notes that filing a report in itself does not prove that a crime has been committed, and that the competent authorities must establish whether there is evidence of a specific offense and supporting proof.
At present, there is no information that the Prosecutor’s Office has brought charges against the prime minister or announced the launch of pre-trial proceedings. Varga’s claims and the contents of the report are yet to be assessed by the investigative authorities.
Peter Magyar is the current prime minister of Hungary and leader of the Tisza party. His substantive reaction to the report was not quoted in the R.B.C. publication that reported the case. Earlier, he responded to statements by his former wife by saying that he would remember “only the good things” from their relationship, the Hungarian media outlet HVG reported.