Hungarian MP Hankó Balázs Denies Criminal Charges in National Cultural Fund Probe

Fidesz MP and former culture minister Hankó Balázs submitted a detailed observation to the chief prosecutor, insisting he is cooperating with investigators and rejecting any suggestion that his possible arrest is predetermined. He highlighted that several employees of the National Cultural Fund (NKA) have been detained since May, but his parliamentary immunity has not been suspended, and he called recent statements targeting him politically motivated.

State Secretary for Culture Ervin Nagy responded to Balázs’s remarks with a Facebook post quoting verses by poet József Attila, underscoring the tension surrounding the case. The scandal centres on allegations that the NKA allocated grant money to support Fidesz‑aligned projects, prompting a NAV investigation that has led to multiple arrests, including former cabinet members. Balázs maintains he did not commit a crime and urges the court, not the media or political opponents, to decide the matter.