Fejes, whose appointment takes effect November 4, immediately apologized for past prosecution decisions and omissions that he said had justifiably offended the public’s sense of justice.

The former deputy chief prosecutor of Vas County, who retired in 2025, took the oath of office following his election. He succeeds Gábor Bálint Nagy, whose mandate ended August 25 after his resignation.

Speaking after the vote, Baka described the election as an important step toward restoring the rule of law and an opportunity for the prosecution service to rebuild public confidence and strengthen its independence.

Independent judicial institutions, free from political influence and operating solely under the law, were fundamental to the rule of law, the president said, emphasizing the prosecution service’s responsibility in that process.

“I am convinced that parliament today elected a professional who, with his knowledge, experience and professional credibility, is capable of promoting the necessary changes,” Baka said.

He thanked prosecutors and prosecution service employees who had remained committed to their profession and the institution’s “honest service” despite recent difficulties.

Baka stressed that the appointment marked the beginning of a lengthy process and pledged to provide support within his presidential powers. He also thanked the press for its largely professional coverage of the prosecution service and the nomination process, including its scrutiny of questionable sources.

Fejes Opens With Apology

Speaking after the president, Fejes said he would not immediately outline a program. Instead, he considered it important to apologize on behalf of the prosecution service for certain decisions – and failures to act – in the recent period that had justifiably “offended society’s sense of justice.”

Baka nominated Fejes on October 12 after his first candidate, Zoltán Szathmáry, failed to secure the required two-thirds parliamentary majority on September 28.

Szathmáry, a department head at the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, had been nominated September 21. Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced the following day that the governing Tisza parliamentary group would not support him and asked Baka to propose another candidate.

Sándor Palace responded that the president had made his nomination and the decision rested with Parliament.

According to press reports, Tisza’s opposition may have been partly connected to Szathmáry’s brother, a department head at the Office for Constitutional Protection who is a suspect in the criminal case concerning the March 5 seizure of Ukrainian cash-transport vehicles.

In that operation, counterterrorism officers confiscated more than HUF 27 billion worth of cash and gold from couriers of Ukraine’s state savings bank. The shipment was returned to Ukraine in May following Hungary’s change of government.

Nearly Four Decades in Prosecution

At the time of Fejes’ nomination, Baka said the candidate had no party ties and had taken no politically contested position in a substantial case during almost four decades as a prosecutor.

Fejes began his career in Szombathely in 1986 and worked in the prosecution services of three western Hungarian counties. He became chief prosecutor of Veszprém County in 2008.

In that role, he led the prosecution in the trial concerning the 2010 Ajka red sludge disaster, Hungary’s worst industrial disaster.

Then-Chief Public Prosecutor Péter Polt removed him from the county leadership position in March 2012, citing a loss of confidence. According to press reports, the removal took immediate effect without a detailed explanation, and Fejes subsequently continued as a prosecutor at the Győr appellate prosecution office.

He later served as deputy chief prosecutor of Vas County before retiring in December 2025 upon reaching the age limit for prosecutors.

Fejes holds a doctorate and has taught as an associate professor at the law faculties of Eötvös Loránd University and Pázmány Péter Catholic University. He is also a public-body member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

Appointment Ends Leadership Vacancy

The chief prosecutor’s position had effectively been vacant since late August. Nagy resigned July 22 after barely a year in office, citing what he described as politically motivated attacks on the prosecution service.

When nominating Fejes, Baka warned of a broader leadership gap: one deputy chief prosecutor had been dismissed, while the other was due to reach the age limit in December.

Under Hungary’s Fundamental Law, Parliament elects the chief public prosecutor for a nine-year term on the president’s recommendation, requiring the support of two-thirds of lawmakers. A recent amendment removed the requirement that candidates come from within the prosecution service.