A complaint alleging extortion and violence in an intimate relationship has been filed against Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar following statements by his former wife, Judit Varga. The document was submitted to the Metropolitan Investigative Prosecutor’s Office in Budapest by István Tényi, who called on the competent authorities to investigate the allegations that have been publicly disseminated. The complaint does not state that Magyar has already been charged.
Tényi refers to Varga’s testimony before a parliamentary committee investigating abuses in the executive branch, as well as to media reports. According to the complaint, the former minister’s allegations may point to signs of extortion and prolonged psychological pressure.
The Allegations about the Secret Recording
Varga stated that in January 2023, Magyar secretly recorded a conversation in their shared home without her knowledge or consent. According to her, the recording was used as a means of exerting pressure for approximately a year and a half, until March 2024, when Magyar made it public in connection with the “Schadl–Völner” scandal.
According to Varga’s account, her former husband threatened her with filing a criminal complaint, imprisonment and destroying her life if she continued with the divorce proceedings or refused to accept conditions that he considered advantageous regarding the division of their assets and the determination of the children’s place of residence.
“The Tisza MPs will understand what Peter Magyar’s hell is like when they too want to break up with him,” Judit Varga told the committee.Varga served as Hungary’s justice minister until 2023. She and Magyar have three children and divorced in 2023. Allegations about the relationship between the two have already been the subject of public disputes, including after the recording was published in March 2024.
Magyar Rejected the Political Interpretation
Peter Magyar responded to the hearing by describing his former wife’s statement as a “performance.” He has not been charged in connection with the new complaint, and prosecutors must first determine whether there is sufficient information to initiate a criminal investigation.
Sources: magyarnemzet.hu, 24.hu, telex.hu