Former Slovak police chief criticizes Hungary's new asset recovery office

István Hamran, the former national police chief of Slovakia, has criticized the timeline proposed by the newly established National Asset Recovery and Protection Office (NVVH) in Hungary. Following the appointment of political scientist Anna Róza Unger to lead the agency for a six-year term, Unger suggested that six years might not be sufficient to achieve results in asset recovery.

Hamran argued that while Hungary possesses strong legal and political conditions for success—including a dedicated budget, significant staffing, and a two-thirds parliamentary majority—predicting six years of inactivity is unacceptable. He noted that in Slovakia, nearly fifty convictions were secured within two years through existing police and prosecutorial structures without a specialized agency.

While Hamran expressed surprise at Unger's appointment due to her lack of practical law enforcement experience, he stated she should be given the opportunity to prove herself. However, he warned that if an agency fails to produce results within a reasonable timeframe, it risks losing public support and may eventually need to be dissolved.