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The committee also decided on Thursday to nominate Katalin Tasnádi as deputy chair for investigations. The application process for the position of deputy chair for public finance was declared unsuccessful following the committee hearings.
Speaking ahead of the session, committee chair István Hantosi highlighted the responsibility and high expectations associated with selecting NVVH officials, particularly in light of the Tisza Party’s commitment to confronting the past.
Estimates suggest that HUF 30 trillion-60 tln (EUR 83 bln-160 bln) in public wealth may have been misappropriated over past decades, an amount equivalent to Hungary’s annual state debt, Hantosi said.
Tisza has pledged to establish the agency to combat financial corruption, asset losses and embezzlement, and to hold accountable those who mismanaged or abused public funds, he added.
After the committee meeting, Hantosi described the decision as extremely close, following hearings in which strong concepts and visions were presented.
He said the competition for deputy director-general for public finances would be repeated in the near future to allow for a broader and more in-depth professional assessment of candidates.
Asked how the agency could begin work without all three deputy directors in place, Hantosi said its structure and operation would resemble that of the prosecution service. With an investigative deputy director selected, the agency’s foundational investigative work could begin, he added.
Anikó Haller Nagy, a Tisza committee member, described Unger as highly convincing, determined and possessing a strong sense of mission. She said Unger had a clear understanding of organizational structure and strong conceptual ideas for ensuring that the agency fulfilled its role.
Asked about Unger’s lack of legal qualifications, Haller Nagy said the candidate had a substantial research background and would be supported by deputy directors specializing in the relevant fields.
Unger was also questioned about her statement during the hearing that the NVVH’s work might not result in court rulings during the chairperson’s first six-year term. She said that while this could be realistic given the general pace of the justice system, it would not rule out results through civil legal proceedings or partial outcomes.
Fidesz members of the committee did not attend the session.
Fidesz communications chief Bertalan Havasi said in a statement that Unger was a “political commissar” and described the NVVH as “Tisza’s ÁVO,” referring to Hungary’s communist-era secret police.
The organization “will be a political cudgel as its creators intended, and a joke; a very rough one at that,” he said.
You can add this as a clean update section to the existing Unger piece:
Parliament elected political scientist Anna Unger as head of the National Asset Recovery and Protection Office (NVVH) in a secret ballot on Friday.
Unger, an associate professor at Eötvös Loránd University’s Faculty of Social Sciences, was elected with 137 votes in favor, seven against and one abstention.
Katalin Tasnády, a prosecutor at the Central Chief Prosecution Office of Investigation, was elected investigative deputy head of the office with 139 votes in favor and six against, also in a secret ballot.
Both will serve six-year terms beginning Sept. 1 and took their oaths of office following the vote.
A total of 146 MPs voted, with one invalid ballot cast.
Opposition Fidesz MPs left the chamber before the vote began, having previously said they would not support the creation of the office and had asked the Constitutional Court to annul the law establishing the NVVH.
The Justice and Constitutional Affairs Committee had invited applications for the office’s leadership positions in late July. After publicly hearing three candidates for the top post, the committee nominated Unger. Tasnády was selected following closed hearings for the investigative deputy position.
The application process for the public finance deputy head was declared unsuccessful, while earlier calls for the prosecution and appeals deputy positions were also invalidated because too few applications were received.
Under legislation adopted in late July, the NVVH is tasked with investigating the unlawful management of public assets, protecting state property and recovering assets lost through criminal activity. It can initiate lawsuits and proceedings by other authorities and has powers related to administrative, public administration and criminal proceedings.
The office is headed by a chair assisted by four deputies responsible for public finance, investigations, prosecutions and appeals.
In a statement after the vote, Fidesz reiterated that it would challenge the NVVH before the Constitutional Court, arguing that the body lacked sufficient judicial oversight and could be used for politically motivated proceedings.
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