Unger, an associate professor at Eotvos Lorand University's Faculty of Social Sciences, was elected with 137 votes in favour, 7 votes against and one abstention.

Katalin Tasnady, a prosecutor from the Central Chief Prosecution Office of Investigation, was elected as investigative deputy head of the office with 139 votes in favour and 6 against, also in a secret ballot.

Both will serve six-year terms starting Sept 1.

After their election, Unger and Tasnady took the oaths of office. A total of 146 MPs voted, with one invalid ballot cast.

Opposition Fidesz exited the chamber before the start of the vote, having previously signalled their refusal to support the office's creation and requested that the Constitutional Court annul the law on the NVVH.

Parliament's justice committee had invited applications for the positions of head and deputy heads of the NVVH in late July. It publicly heard three candidates for head of the office on Tuesday 25 August before nominating Unger.

The committee interviewed candidates for the investigative and public finance deputy had positions in a closed session on Wednesday, selecting Tasnady as the investigative deputy head. The application for the public finance deputy head position was declared void after the hearings.

Few applications were received for the prosecution and appeals deputy head positions, which were declared invalid earlier.

Under the law passed by parliament in late July, the NVVH is tasked with investigating illegal management of public assets, protecting public property, and recovering assets lost through criminal activity.

It can initiate lawsuits, launch proceedings by other authorities, and has powers related to administrative procedures, public administration lawsuits, and criminal proceedings.

The NVVH is led by its head, and assisted by four deputies specialising in public finance, investigations, prosecutions, and appeals.

The head of the office must have a clean criminal record, a degree in law, economics, political science, public administration, or another social science, and at least 15 years of professional experience or an academic degree with 10 years of experience in these fields.

The public finance deputy head must meet the same educational requirements and have at least 15 years of experience in tax or customs authorities.

Deputies for investigations, prosecutions, and appeals must be prosecutors in active service.

No one who has served as an MP, mayor, member of government, held a party position, or been employed by a political party in the six years prior to election can serve as head or deputy head of the NVVH.

Prime Minister Peter Magyar said during parliament’s inaugural session on May 9 that the asset recovery office bill would be among the first to be submitted, as Hungarians deserved to know how the power system of the previous decades had functioned and how decisions had led to "a significant portion of the nation's shared wealth being concentrated in the hands of a narrow political and economic elite".

In a statement after the vote, Fidesz confirmed it will turn to the Constitutional Court over the NVVH, saying it was "unacceptable to create an organisation without real judicial oversight, which would establish a network of informants, conduct surveillance, and financially ruin individuals".

The party's parliamentary group said there was "every indication" that the office would launch "show trials based on political orders from the Tisza Party and Peter Magyar".

Unger: First NVVH investigations to begin this year

The first investigations will launch this year, although the National Asset Recovery and Protection Office (NVVH) must first establish itself and develop its investigative methodology to legally trace and secure missing state assets, newly elected NVVH president Anna Unger told Telex in an interview on Friday on 28 August.

Unger said she expected the missing assets to be recovered to amount to "somewhere between 20 and 60 trillion forints [EUR 55bn-165bbn]", adding that whatever can be retrieved must be secured, with courts later deciding the fate of the recovered assets.

Addressing criticism following her committee hearing, she clarified that she did not say results would only appear in the sixth year, but rather that by the end of the sixth year, "the full extent of asset loss will be uncovered, and as much of the stolen public wealth as possible will be secured."

The first investigations could begin this year based on reports or a public asset risk assessment, with the methodology finalised by the end of December.

If a company has derived 75 percent or more of its net revenue from public procurement over the past five years, the NVVH will be obligated to investigate, she said.

Unger declined to discuss specific cases, as the investigative supervisor and deputy presidents of the office will handle their selection.

By law, "the deputy presidents act independently within their jurisdictions", and the president has no authority to intervene, she said.

Regarding the investigative methodology, Unger said it will be developed with the input of the four future deputy presidents and a professional staff comprising experts from various fields such as civil organisations, academia and legal practice.

Asked how the new office can meet Tisza’s promise of swift accountability, Unger responded that parliament must urgently elect three more deputy presidents and establish the office so that, in a few months, they can disclose where investigations are under way.

Unger expressed hope that within three years, "we can unveil the entire system ... so we can prevent such issues from recurring."

She emphasised her commitment to advancing as quickly as possible in the cases already in the investigative phase. "No matter how much society expects me to name three people to take away on the first night, that is not my role -- if I did, I should be the one taken away."

The world is watching how Hungary handles this situation, she said. The systemic change and democratic consolidation happening in Hungary will serve as an example for others, as "such systemic corruption as seen has not occurred in modern democracies or autocracies, or within the European Union."

Crimes will have to be uncovered before assets can be recovered, she said, adding that the funds will mostly be recovered from secured assets and frozen accounts.

"The goal is not to set a target for the amount of assets to recover but to uncover how much has disappeared and to recover as much as possible."

Unger stressed the importance of the NVVH’s "absolute non-partisan, impartial, and independent stance against corruption" and the need for a strong symbol to represent this.

She noted that during the 1989 four-question referendum, the highest number of "yes" votes was for the accountability of party assets, yet this never happened.

"Party financing has continuously undermined Hungarian democracy," and when a lot of EU funds "poured in", the European Union also lacked the means to protect them.

The NVVH’s mandate covers the past 20 years, but the office will also address current issues if it receives reports or identifies ongoing problems. "There is not just Fidesz corruption, but corruption in general, and it must be investigated."

Unger said that one of the most dangerous instances of corruption and party financing had bee the so-called "Felcsut audit office".

More or less confirmed rumours had pointed to "district chairpersons and other MPs deciding on local investments up to 500 million forints, while higher amounts were handled by the so-called 'Felcsut audit office', comprising key government-affiliated figures", she said.

Investigative reports suggest political influence in the distribution of state investments, she said. Former prime minister Viktor Orban had reportedly admitted that investments were "reviewed". "In the last cycle, financial decisions were made quite concretely along political lines," she said.

As NVVH president, Unger declined to name specific individuals but indicated that if evidence and proceedings emerged, names would be disclosed.

Finally, she mentioned that in recent years, the Hungarian state "has transferred resources to private equity funds with murky ownership structures" to an extent that violates the fundamental law and public finance regulations. This is why ownership structures must be made transparent wherever possible, she said.

Hadhazy to request disclosure of information on NVVH leadership tenders

Akos Hadhazy, a former independent lawmaker, is turning to the head of the Prime Minister's Office, requesting the disclosure of information of public interest on the evaluation system employed on the tenders for leadership positions at the National Asset Recovery and Protection Office (NVVH).

Hadhazy said on Facebook on Friday 28 August that he was requesting the publication of the point system used to elect the four short-listed candidates out of 94 applicants. He added that he was ready to sue should the Prime Minister's Office deny the request.

"I have received unsettling information pointing to the tender being a show, that most of the applications were not even read, and no one had been heard except for the four candidates who were short-listed in the end," Hadhazy said.

He insisted that he had received reports that the election of Anna Unger as NVVH head had been the result of a compromise between Prime Minister Peter Magyar and PM's Office head Balint Ruff. The publication of the evaluation system was key to clear up those allegations, he said.

Magyar rejects claim of Tisza-Fidesz pact on NVVH head

The claim that a pact had been struck between the ruling Tisza Party and opposition Fidesz regarding who would be appointed to head the National Asset Recovery and Protection Office (NVVH) is a "despicable lie", Prime Minister Peter Magyar said.

Those spreading such rumours aim to undermine the work of the "agency with the strongest powers in Europe in the fight against corruption", Magyar told a press conference in Parliament. He noted that Unger was the only candidate to head the NVVH whom parliament could vote on today.

The prime minister called parliament's decision to elect Unger as head and Katalin Tasnady as investigative deputy head of the NVVH a "historic moment", adding that the selection process had been "unprecedentedly transparent".

Magyar said the Tisza Party group had discussed the justice committee's nominees and broadly agreed, despite minor differences, that all three candidates had the professional qualifications to lead such an office.

He said Hungary had adopted one of Europe's strictest asset recovery and anti-corruption packages, enabling the rapid establishment of the NVVH. The goal was for the office to begin operations as quickly and professionally as possible, he added.

Addressing criticism that Unger is not a lawyer, Magyar pointed out that the director of the FBI is also not a lawyer. He noted that the law does not require the head of the NVVH to be a lawyer, but the investigative, prosecution, and appeals deputy heads must be lawyers or prosecutors.

Magyar said that if the Tisza majority had not elected Unger, the NVVH's operations and asset recovery efforts "may have been off the table for good".

A new tender and selection process would have taken weeks, making it nearly impossible to find a candidate with a two-thirds majority, he added.

He acknowledged criticism of the past remarks from the candidates to head the NVVH, such as one of them saying that they were "only confident about 10 percent of stolen assets" being recovered, and the other that under the current legal framework, a final conviction could only be expected in six years at the earliest.

Magyar said both had spoken "uncomfortable truths", adding, however, that it was "unacceptable" for minor or major criminal cases to drag on for 5-10-15 years. He pledged to submit proposals to speed up legal proceedings.

On the secret ballot, Magyar said that while party discipline played a role, it did not prevent MPs from voting against or abstaining if they had concerns. He declined to comment on how individual MPs, such as Marton Mellethei-Barna, had voted.

Asked about internal debates within the parliamentary group over the candidates, with some MPs having supported Miklos Ligeti, Magyar said there had been no real dispute, only preliminary consultations.

He added that while multiple candidates were qualified, only one could be chosen. The political responsibility lay with his party, and if they had believed the justice committee's decision was incorrect, they would have restarted the process, he said.

Magyar said the newly elected head of the NVVH could begin work immediately, including drafting the office's operational regulations, moving into a temporary headquarters, and securing the budget.

The deputy head would need to recruit a team of prosecutors, police, investigators, former defence lawyers, and auditors to carry out the actual work, he noted.

Asked when tangible results could be expected, Magyar said it was not the role of a prime minister or a party to dictate timelines for convictions or arrests. "That would be further from the rule of law than anything else," he said.

Addressing criticism from the opposition Fidesz and Our Homeland parties over the selection process and vote, Magyar said they could have made meaningful proposals during the justice committee's discussions on the legislation. He noted that Fidesz and the Christian Democrats had not participated in the selection process.

Parlt cttee will not publish vetting data on NVVH candidates - atlatszo.hu

Documents and data from a closed parliamentary committee session may not be made public, including the scoring template and the ranking of candidates for leadership positions of the National Asset Recovery and Protection Office (NVVH), the head of parliament's justice and constitutional affairs committee told the website atlatszo.hu.

The investigative journalism outfit sent its questions to Istvan Hantosi on Thursday evening, seeking clarity on whether the public could access the initial evaluation sheet for candidates applying for the NVVH presidency, including the scores of the top three or four candidates.

It also asked why the written professional concepts of the top-scoring candidates could not be made public and whether the committee would consider, with the candidates’ consent, disclosing the submitted professional plans.

In response, Hantosi said that the nomination of the NVVH’s head and deputy heads falls under the committee's responsibility.

During the nomination process, the committee prioritised the protection of applicants’ personal data, opting to select candidates for personal hearings in a closed session.

Hantosi said all statements and documents were subject to the law on the right to informational self-determination and freedom of information.

"At the same time, the committee held the hearings for candidates applying for the NVVH presidency in an open session, during which all of them presented their professional concepts in detail. This allowed all interested parties to directly learn about the candidates’ goals and visions regarding the office’s tasks and operations," he added.

Political scientist Anna Roza Unger was elected by parliament to head the NVVH on Friday 28 August. She was selected from among 96 applicants, which was whittled down to a short-list of four candidates by earlier this week: Unger, Miklos Zoltan Ligeti, David Jancsics (who withdrew before the hearings), and Tisza nominee Nicholas Sarvari.

Magyar: Those obstructing NVVH 'opponents of recovering public assets'

Those who try to discredit the National Asset Recovery and Protection Office (NVVH) or obstruct its work "are against the cleansing of Hungary and recovering its public assets," Prime Minister Peter Magyar said in a video published on Facebook.

Magyar said that while it was "allowed and necessary" to critique and control the office, as well as to hold it to account, "those who weaken, discredit or obstruct the work, or spread lies about secret backroom deals and nonexistent irregularities are knowingly harming and dismantling it."

To his Tisza Party, Magyar said it was "unfair and unjust" to question lawmakers' or government members' commitment and work after the "record-breaking speed with which the NVVH was set up."

The selection process was professional and transparent, Magyar said, adding that Miklos Ligeti, the legal director of Transparency International Hungary who was one of the four short-listed applicants, had shared that view during a recent phone conversation.

Magyar congratulated the elected president, Anna Roza Unger, and deputy leader Katalin Tasnady, whom he described as one of the country’s most prepared prosecutors. Her task will be to investigate "the largest Hungarian economic crimes ever seen and to name those responsible," he said.

Meanwhile, the government will submit amendments to parliament designed to accelerate the duration of investigations as well as prosecutorial and court procedures, Magyar said. "It is unacceptable for anyone that criminal proceedings can last 5-10 years."

Regarding the opposition Fidesz's statement, which compared the NVVH to the dreaded socialist-era secret service AVH, Magyar said it was "despicable and a disgraceful besmirching of the memory of AVH victims and the legacy of 1956."

"However, it is not surprising that the opposition party attacks the office and its new leadership with base tools and methods, as they have plundered this wonderful country over the past 16 years, so they have something to lose."

Magyar asked citizens not to fall for the often personal, hurtful provocations, but to stand behind those who have taken on this work, give them trust, and protect them from baseless attacks.

Magyar orders police protection for NVVH head

The newly elected leader of the National Asset Recovery and Protection Office (NVVH) and its deputy leader for investigation are receiving police protection from Friday, Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on Facebook.

NVVH head Anna Roza Unger and deputy leader Katalin Tasnady "have shouldered the most dangerous task, fighting the mafia," Magyar said.

Under the law adopted by parliament on setting up the authority, the head and four deputy leaders of the NVVH will receive police protection and immunity.

Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881.

MTI photo

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