Hungary names new anti-corruption chief amid political tensions

Hungary’s parliament elected political analyst Anna Unger to head the National Asset Recovery and Protection Office (NVVH), a flagship institution of the Tisza government’s anti-corruption agenda, Euractiv reports.

Established in July, the independent body is tasked with tracing and recovering misappropriated public assets and identifying officials who enabled alleged abuses. The office reports to parliament and has the authority to access financial and official records, conduct investigations and refer cases for prosecution.

Unger’s appointment was approved by 137 lawmakers, with seven voting against. Most MPs from the opposition Fidesz and KDNP parties left the chamber ahead of the vote, maintaining their boycott of the institution, which they have branded a “new ÁVH,” referring to Hungary’s former communist-era secret police.

The vote also revealed some dissent within the ruling Tisza party. Tisza lawmaker Márton Melléthei-Barna confirmed that he voted against Unger, saying he had preferred fellow candidate Miklós Ligeti on professional grounds.

Unger, a prominent democracy researcher at ELTE University, has previously been at the centre of political controversy. In late 2024, she faced criticism over her role as an official reviewer of the doctoral dissertation of Balázs Orbán, then political director to former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Unger defended her involvement, saying educators should not discriminate against students based on political affiliation.

During her parliamentary hearing, Unger said the NVVH should go beyond recovering assets and identify the institutional networks and decision-makers that enabled corruption.

“Who were the players who assisted in this? Who was the prosecutor who did not initiate proceedings? Who in the central bank failed to prevent the loss of assets but did nothing against it?” Unger asked.

She stressed that officials responsible for safeguarding public finances but who failed to act should also be identified.

Unger cautioned against expectations of rapid results, saying that while six years could be sufficient to secure indictments, final court judgments often take considerably longer under Hungary’s legal system.

Her mandate begins on September 1. The office is still seeking three additional deputy heads after earlier applications for the positions were declared invalid.

By Vafa Guliyeva