Steven N.
The Prosecutor General’s Office believes that Pál Völner (pictured), the former state secretary for legal affairs who resigned last week after it was revealed that he was being investigated for corruption, received a total of 83 million Ft. (US $256,000) in bribes, according to information the Office submitted to the Parliamentary Immunity Committee.
The bribes were offered to Völner as occasional payments of 2-5 million Ft. (US $6,200-$15,400) between May 2018 and July 2021 by György Schadl, the president of the Hungarian Chamber of Judicial Officers (MBVK), who is now under arrest due to the case.
The Prosector General’s Office alleges that in exchange for corrupt payments, Pál Völner undertook to abuse his supervisory, official, and administrative powers over judicial officials to rule according to the request of the President of the Chamber, such as when deciding on tenders.
The Prosecutor’s document also reveals that the corrupt relationship between the two officials is suspected to have started at some unspecified date prior to August 2017, and that the two typically met in restaurants or on the street next to Völner’s parked car, where the exchange of money also took place.
The Immunity Committee agreed with suspending the Parliamentary immunity of Pál Völner, who remains an MP in the National Assembly. Parliament is expected to vote on the issue on Tuesday.
Last week, the Prosector General asked to lift Pál Völner’s Parliamentary immunity after claiming that he was a suspect in a bribery case they were investigating. The Fidesz politician resigned his post as secretary of state in the Ministry of Justice, but claimed in a statement that he had not committed a crime.
[HVG]
