Another deep crack in the facade of power in Hungary: former Minister of Culture and Innovation Hankó Balázs appeared in handcuffs on Thursday at the Kecskemét District Court, as a decision is pending on whether he will be held in pretrial detention as part of the investigation into the distribution of culture funds.
Appearance in court under security measures
Hankó, currently a Fidesz lawmaker, arrived at court escorted by Hungary’s tax and customs authorities, NAV. Local media reported that journalists were kept at a distance outside the courtroom.
Asked about his condition after being held in detention, he gave only a brief reply: “I have declared everything.”
What is under investigation
According to investigators, the former minister is suspected of having been directly involved in the allocation and distribution of hundreds of grants from the National Cultural Fund.
The main suspicion is that some of these funds, instead of going toward cultural purposes, may have been used for Fidesz’s election campaign or for the private interests of the beneficiaries. These are allegations under investigation, while the case remains under criminal review.
From lifting immunity to arrest
Last week, prosecutors requested the lifting of the lawmaker’s parliamentary immunity. The Hungarian parliament approved the request on Monday, clearing the way for criminal proceedings against him.
After that decision, Hankó remained for several hours in his office in parliament. Then, after officially receiving the summons, he appeared at NAV’s center on Huszti Street.
Five hours of questioning, court decision pending
Authorities formally arrested him and transferred him to Kecskemét, where he was questioned for about five hours as a suspect in abuse of office which, according to the investigation, may have caused exceptionally large financial damage.
The court hearing lasted a few minutes at the first appearance, after which he returned together with his lawyer. The court is now expected to decide whether the former minister will remain in pretrial detention while the investigation continues.
The case has once again brought into focus the use of public funds and the way politics can draw them closer to party interests, if the suspicions raised by the investigation are proven in court.
For now, Hankó Balázs’s criminal liability remains to be established in judicial proceedings.