Tisza picks academic with no law degree to lead corruption recovery office

At the committee’s Thursday session, it also decided to nominate Katalin Tasnádi as deputy president for investigations, while declaring the tender for the position of deputy president for public finance matters unsuccessful following the candidate hearings.

István Hantosi, the committee’s Tisza-affiliated chair, said at the opening of the session that the selection of the office’s officials is accompanied by enormous public expectation and responsibility, given that confronting the past is one of Tisza Párt’s most important commitments. According to estimates, some 30 to 60 thousand billion forints of public assets may have “migrated into private pockets” over the past two decades, an amount that could equal one full year’s worth of Hungary’s total national debt. For this reason, the party committed to establishing the National Asset Recovery and Asset Protection Office in order to put a stop to corruption involving public funds, asset loss, and asset stripping, and to hold accountable those who managed and abused the public assets entrusted to them irresponsibly, he stressed.

He added that the NVVH’s task will not be political score-settling, but rather the recovery of public funds and the uncovering of serious corruption cases. At the same time, by establishing the office, they hope not only to shed light on the past but also to lay the “foundations of a clean future,” said István Hantosi.

At the doorstep press conference held after the session, István Hantosi said the decision had been extremely close, as they had heard exceptionally strong concepts and ideas during the hearings.

Regarding the declaration of the deputy president for public finance position as unsuccessful, he said they would like to launch another round in order to provide as many professional candidates as possible with the opportunity to compete through a broader and deeper pool of applicants. When asked when the new calls for applications for the deputy president positions could be issued, he replied that they would not waste time and that this could happen in the near future.

In response to the suggestion that the office would be starting its work without three deputy presidents, he said the organisation and operation of the NVVH is most comparable to that of the prosecutor’s office, and since a deputy president for investigations had been elected, the investigative phase that underpins the work would be secured.

Anikó Hallerné Nagy (Tisza Párt), a member of the committee, praised Anna Róza Unger, who — in her view — had been extremely convincing and resolute, possesses “a sense of neutral mission in the best sense of the word,” and is a highly committed professional.

Anna Róza Unger had a clear grasp of the organisational structure, had firm ideas, and “her personality and concept will be the guarantee that the organisation fulfils the function that was one of Tisza’s greatest commitments,” the politician said.

In response to the suggestion that Anna Róza Unger lacks a legal qualification, he said that the candidate has a very serious research background and is a substantial theoretical expert, alongside whom the professional aspects will be embodied by the vice-presidents overseeing the relevant fields.

He commented on Anna Róza Unger’s statement at her hearing — that a court ruling might not come even within six years — by saying that, starting from the general order of justice, “this may be realistic,” but that it does not mean results cannot be achieved through civil law instruments, and that partial results may also emerge. In response to a question, Anikó Hallerné Nagy said she considers it not a failure but a responsible decision that no result was announced for the three vice-presidential posts, and that further work is instead being invested in finding the best candidates.

She stressed that the final vote result does not mean the other candidates were not suitable for the position. She also expressed her thanks for the assistance and support of civil organisations. The Fidesz members of the committee did not attend the session.

Artificial intelligence was used for the translation of parts of the original Hungarian text.