Fidesz explores legal means to prosecute former premiers for state debt
Governing Fidesz will propose that parliament’s constitutional and audit committees assess whether current laws enable the identification of those responsible for Hungary’s state debt and if they can be called to account for this, the prime minister’s spokesman said on Thursday.
If this is not possible at the moment, then Fidesz will make the necessary arrangements, Peter Szijjártó said. New legislation will be required anyway, as a result of the new constitution which includes a section on curbing state debts, he told reporters.
A parliamentary subcommittee assessing the reasons of the state debt increase between 2002 and 2010 considers it necessary to also identify legal responsibilities in addition to political ones, he said.
He reiterated that wrong economic policy decisions by the past Socialist governments resulted in the drastic increase in state debt. He said that those personally responsible were former Prime Ministers Péter Medgyessy, Ferenc Gyurcsány and Gordon Bajnai, as well as the finance ministers of the time.
László Kovács, deputy head of the main opposition Socialist party, said that it would be unprecedented in a democratic state to bring politicians to court because of the increase in state debt.
The opposition radical nationalist Jobbik party on Thursday expressed agreement with the ruling party’s proposal to identify legal responsibilities. However, instead of assessing only the past nine years, responsibilities of the previous government of Viktor Orbán (1998-2002) should also be identified and those who caused damage should also be called to account, said MP Dániel Kárpát Z.
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