By Shumaila Aslam
Bureau Chief Pakistan
Snn News Finland
Péter Magyar’s immunity was lifted on Monday, 28 September 2026, after Hungary’s parliament voted 139 to 0 to let prosecutors pursue an investigation into a 2024 nightclub incident in Budapest. The prime minister is suspected of theft over allegations that he took a man’s phone and threw it into the Danube River.
Speaker Ágnes Forsthoffer announced the result at an extraordinary session of parliament, with no votes against and no abstentions, TASS reported. Magyar had personally asked lawmakers to back the motion.
How Parliament Voted to Lift Péter Magyar’s Immunity
The motion was supported by Magyar’s governing Tisza party and by the far-right Our Homeland party, according to TASS. Lawmakers from the opposition Fidesz party and its ally KDNP boycotted the session in protest, according to TASS and other reports.
Tisza holds more than two-thirds of the seats in the 199-member National Assembly. Magyar serves as both prime minister and a member of parliament.
The same session also suspended the immunity of two former ministers from Viktor Orbán’s government, Balázs Hankó and Miklós Seszták, in separate cases. According to Anadolu Agency, which cited Magyar Nemzet, Hankó is being investigated over suspected mismanagement linked to the National Cultural Fund, while Seszták faces a bribery-related investigation in the Volánbusz case.
Anadolu also reported that parliament’s Immunity Committee had opposed the move before the vote. The report did not explain the committee’s reasoning.
What Prosecutors Allege About the 2024 Nightclub Incident
According to prosecutors, the incident took place on 21 June 2024 at the Ötkert nightclub in central Budapest, shortly after that year’s European Parliament elections. Magyar was then a member of the European Parliament.
Prosecutors allege that Magyar had a dispute with a man who was filming him, took the man’s phone and later threw it into the Danube. The phone was recovered and returned to its owner. Magyar is suspected of theft. He has not been convicted of any offence.
Why the Péter Magyar Immunity Case Took Two Years to Reach This Point
Hungarian prosecutors first sought to pursue the case while Magyar was a member of the European Parliament. In October 2025, the European Parliament rejected Hungary’s request to lift his immunity, Euronews reported. Its legal affairs committee had raised doubts that he could receive a fair trial in Hungary under then-Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Magyar won Hungary’s April 2026 parliamentary election, ending Orbán’s 16 years in power, and took a seat in the national parliament, which gave him domestic immunity. Several outlets, including Meduza, reported that the case had been closed earlier and was reopened in May 2026. Prosecutors then asked Hungarian lawmakers to lift his immunity.
The vote places a sitting prime minister under criminal investigation months after he took office. Media outlets, including Time News and UNN, described him as the first Hungarian head of government to lose immunity while in office, though that description was not confirmed by an official source.
Magyar’s Response and What Happens Next
Magyar urged Tisza lawmakers to support the motion. In his address to parliament, he said everyone must answer before the law and that he had nothing to hide, according to reports of the session.
He has called the case politically motivated and a form of character assassination. According to Poland’s public broadcaster TVP, he said he would act the same way again to protect friends and young people from a man he described as a paid provocateur. The phone’s owner has not been quoted in the coverage available at the time of writing, and Magyar’s characterisation of him could not be independently verified.
Magyar has also accused the opposition of trying to divert attention from the corruption cases, JFeed reported. Magyar has previously said he supports abolishing immunity in criminal cases prosecuted by the state, ua.news reported.
With parliamentary protection removed, Hungarian prosecutors can now continue their investigation. TASS reported that prosecutors said the conduct could be classified as theft. At the time of writing, none of the reports indicated that Magyar had been formally charged.
This is a developing story and will be updated as verified information becomes available.
Key Facts
- Hungary’s parliament voted 139-0, with no abstentions, on 28 September 2026 to lift Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s immunity.
- Prosecutors allege that Magyar took a man’s phone at a Budapest nightclub on 21 June 2024 and threw it into the Danube. He is suspected of theft and has not been convicted.
- The European Parliament rejected an earlier request to lift his immunity in October 2025, Euronews reported.
- Magyar asked lawmakers to support the motion. He says he has nothing to hide and calls the case politically motivated.
- Fidesz and KDNP boycotted the vote, which also lifted the immunity of former ministers Balázs Hankó and Miklós Seszták in separate cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was Péter Magyar’s immunity lifted?
Prosecutors asked parliament to lift it so they could continue investigating a suspected theft linked to a 2024 nightclub incident in Budapest.
How many lawmakers voted to lift Magyar’s immunity?
The vote was 139 in favour, with no votes against and no abstentions.
What is Magyar accused of?
Prosecutors allege he took a man’s phone during a dispute and threw it into the Danube. He is suspected of theft and has not been convicted.
What does Magyar say?
He says he has nothing to hide and asked lawmakers to back the motion. He calls the case politically motivated.
Why did the European Parliament not lift his immunity?
In October 2025 it rejected Hungary’s request. Its legal affairs committee had raised doubts that he could receive a fair trial in Hungary under Orbán, Euronews reported.
Conclusion
The lifting of Péter Magyar’s immunity allows Hungarian prosecutors to continue the investigation into the 2024 phone incident. Magyar denies wrongdoing and says the case is politically motivated.
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