BUDAPEST, Hungary — Prosecutors and investigators with Hungary's tax authority on Tuesday raided offices housing data servers used by former prime minister Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party as part of a probe into suspected embezzlement and other crimes, according to the Bács-Kiskun County chief prosecutor's office.
The raid is connected to an investigation into the alleged misuse of grant money through Hungary's National Cultural Fund during Orbán's time in office. Six current and former officials have been charged with misusing approximately 17 billion forints ($53.5 million) through the fund, according to prosecutors. The accused have denied wrongdoing.
Fidesz governed Hungary for 16 years until a blowout electoral loss in April to the Tisza party, led by Prime Minister Péter Magyar. Since taking office in May, Magyar has moved to dismantle what he calls Orbán's "mafia" system by removing political appointees and heads of institutions.
What the Left Is Saying
Supporters of the Tisza government and pro-European reformers view the raid as legitimate law enforcement action against corruption that went unchecked during 16 years of Fidesz rule. They argue that no one, including former governing party officials, is above the law.
Prime Minister Péter Magyar wrote on Facebook that he was awaiting further information from prosecutors about the raid. Tisza has argued it is using its electoral mandate to fulfill campaign promises of cleaning up Hungary's political system.
Pro-European observers note that Fidesz was routinely accused during its tenure of overseeing unchecked corruption, seizing control of institutions and undermining democratic norms. They contend that investigating past financial impropriety is a normal function of democratic governance.
What the Right Is Saying
Fidesz issued a statement calling the raid an unprecedented attack on opposition politics in Hungary since the end of communism in 1990. The party accused the governing Tisza party of using legal means to destroy it.
"Investigators launched the raid without prior notice with the intention of seizing the party's entire communications system and databases," Fidesz stated on Facebook. "There has been no precedent for this in Hungary since the end of Communism in 1990!"
Fidesz has accused Magyar and Tisza of "tyranny" in their efforts to dismantle Orbán's political and economic system. Party supporters argue that using prosecutorial power against a former ruling party risks politicizing law enforcement and could set a troubling precedent for democratic opposition.
What the Numbers Show
17 billion forints ($53.5 million) — the amount allegedly misused through Hungary's National Cultural Fund, according to prosecutors
6 current and former officials have been charged in connection with the alleged embezzlement
16 years — length of Fidesz rule before April's electoral defeat
The Bács-Kiskun County chief prosecutor's office led the investigation. A regional criminal directorate of the National Tax and Customs Administration assisted in Tuesday's raid.
The Bottom Line
The raid marks an escalation in Magyar's efforts to address alleged corruption from the Orbán era. It remains unclear what evidence prosecutors expect to find on Fidesz servers or how quickly the investigation might proceed.
Fidesz, now in opposition, has framed the action as political persecution, while Tisza supporters see it as accountability. The case is likely to test Hungary's legal institutions and could set precedents for how successor governments handle alleged corruption by their predecessors. Further developments will depend on what prosecutors find in the seized data and whether charges lead to convictions.