Hungarian prosecutors have requested the suspension of Prime Minister Péter Magyar's parliamentary immunity over allegations of theft stemming from an incident in a nightclub.
The motion was submitted to the Speaker of the Hungarian Parliament by the Deputy Prosecutor General, who is currently serving as acting Prosecutor General. The move allows law enforcement authorities to reopen a criminal investigation involving the prime minister.
Parliamentary immunity is a legal protection granted to members of parliament that prevents them from facing prosecution or arrest without the formal consent of the legislative body. In Hungary, stripping a lawmaker of immunity requires a vote in the national assembly.
Nightclub altercation and phone incident
The allegations date back to June 2024 during a night out at a venue in Budapest. According to prosecutors, Magyar became involved in an altercation with another patron who was filming his actions on a mobile phone.
Investigators state that Magyar took the mobile phone from the visitor, placed it into his pocket, and subsequently threw the device into the Danube River.
Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is bisected by the Danube River, one of Europe's major waterways. At the time of the altercation in June 2024, Magyar was serving as a Member of the European Parliament, the directly elected legislative body of the European Union.
When Hungarian law enforcement authorities initially requested the European Parliament to strip Magyar of his immunity in 2024, the EU body refused. However, Magyar assumed office as a deputy in the Hungarian parliament in the spring of 2026. Because of his new status as a domestic lawmaker, the Prosecutor General's Office decided to pursue the suspension of his immunity within Hungary to reactivate the case.
Response from the prime minister
Responding to the prosecutor's request, Magyar stated that he would not object to parliament lifting his immunity. He said that his conscience was clear and asked lawmakers to strip his immunity immediately, adding that he would gladly and proudly appear before the authorities.
Magyar characterized the case against him as fabricated. He also stated that he intends to file a formal complaint against police officers for deploying a team of divers to search for the submerged phone in the Danube River, claiming the operation risked the lives of the officers involved.
Previous public incidents
The prosecutor's motion follows two other recent public confrontations involving the prime minister. Earlier in September 2026, Magyar stated that an unknown man splashed white wine in his face to express disagreement with his political policies.
That incident took place following a visit to the southern city of Pécs and a stop in Szekszárd during a local grape harvest festival. While Magyar was speaking with restaurant owners, an elderly man splashed white wine toward him before being escorted away by a security guard.
Magyar described the assailant as a defeated warrior of Viktor Orbán, referencing the former Hungarian prime minister and the opposition Fidesz party. Pécs and Szekszárd are major urban and wine-producing centers in southern Hungary, where public events frequently draw political crowds.
In another incident in July 2026, a passerby spat at the prime minister at the Western Railway Station in Budapest. Magyar was walking along the platform with Transport Minister Dávid Vitézy when an unidentified man approached from behind and spat at him before security personnel intervened.
The Hungarian government press service stated that the prime minister would not press charges over the railway station incident and wished good health to the individual involved. Magyar commented that citizens were not to blame for the hatred in their hearts, attributing the hostility to political propaganda under Orbán's previous administration and asserting that Hungary was making progress toward becoming a more humane society.
