Hankó, a Fidesz lawmaker, is suspected of breach of trust committed as part of a criminal organization, causing particularly large financial damage. He denies wrongdoing.

Marianna Bodó, spokesperson for the Bács-Kiskun County Prosecutor’s Office, said the judge agreed with prosecutors that no other coercive measure would adequately ensure Hankó’s presence or prevent interference with evidence gathering.

The court identified a risk of flight or hiding and found that Hankó’s extensive network of contacts could enable him to use his influence to obstruct the proceedings, Bodó said.

Hankó and his lawyer appealed the decision. A criminal panel of the Kecskemét county court will rule on the appeal.

Parliament suspended Hankó’s immunity at an extraordinary session Monday at the request of Deputy Chief Prosecutor István Lajtár. Investigators from the National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV) took him into custody that evening.

Prosecutors allege that Hankó and his associates established a dual process for distributing NKA funds along political lines and according to constituency coverage, separating formal approval procedures from actual decision-making.

Some applications were approved without substantive review, while decisions were allegedly made by Hankó and others rather than the fund’s assessment panels, frequently before applications had even been submitted.

Under the law governing the NKA, the fund’s chair — a position held by Hankó as minister — and deputy chair could not participate in the panels’ assessment of individual applications, prosecutors said.

The prosecution also alleges that some of the funding was used to cover campaign costs for the 2026 parliamentary elections and for personal purposes.

In an interview recorded by Hír TV on Monday and broadcast Tuesday, Hankó rejected the allegations.

“The entire grant system and every step was lawful, and all 1,087 supported programs were cultural programs,” he said, describing the proceedings as a politically motivated show trial.

Leaving the courtroom Thursday, Hankó said: “The prosecution did not allow me to speak to the press. So much for freedom of speech.”

Asked about the remark, Bodó said prosecutors had authority over such requests during the investigative phase of detention, but had received no request from Hankó to make a statement to the press. Any request would be assessed, and reporters covering the case would be informed of the decision, she added.

Hankó was being held at the Cegléd Police Headquarters and would be returned there after the hearing, Bodó said. Detention in police cells may last no more than 60 days, after which any continuing detention must take place in a correctional facility. Prosecutors could seek an extension of the one-month detention order if its grounds remained in place.

The spokesperson declined to identify another suspect in the case, whom press reports named as Veronika Varga-Bajusz, a former state secretary at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation. An MTI reporter saw her being led away in restraints.

Bodó said prosecutors did not consider the other suspect a public figure and therefore could not provide information about her. She declined to comment on possible further arrests or other investigative steps.