Hungarian Minister Tarr Zoltán revokes pre‑election cultural grants

Minister for Social Relations and Culture Tarr Zoltán announced the withdrawal of all cultural grants that former culture minister Hankó Balázs allocated on 8 April 2026, just days before Hungary’s upcoming elections. The revocation affects 30 beneficiaries who received a total of 393,898,580 forints.

The decision follows a review with the National Cultural Support Management (NKTK), which found that many grants were granted without written applications or at amounts higher than requested, prompting concerns about misuse of public funds. The move is part of a broader investigation into alleged budget fraud and mismanagement linked to the former minister’s actions.

Tarr emphasized that the revocation is legally permissible and aims to restore proper oversight of cultural funding, while NKTK staff continue to assist ongoing tax authority investigations.