BUDAPEST – Hungary’s parliament elected political analyst Anna Unger on Friday to head the National Asset Recovery and Protection Office (NVVH), a flagship institution of the Tisza government’s anti-corruption drive.
The NVVH, created in July, is an independent body tasked with tracing and recovering misused public assets and identifying officials who enabled abuses. It reports to parliament and can access financial and official records, investigate cases and refer them for prosecution.
The vote passed with 137 votes in favour and seven against. Most MPs from the opposition Fidesz and KDNP walked out before the vote, continuing their boycott of an institution they have branded a “new ÁVH” – a reference to Hungary’s communist-era secret police.
Despite Tisza’s supermajority, the selection process exposed some internal dissent. One Tisza MP, Márton Melléthei-Barna, confirmed he voted against Unger, saying he preferred fellow candidate Miklós Ligeti on professional grounds.
The PhD controversy
Unger, a prominent democracy researcher at ELTE University, is no stranger to political controversy, though recent criticism has also come from liberal circles.
In late 2024, Unger faced a backlash over her role as an official reviewer of the doctoral dissertation of Balázs Orbán, then political director to former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Critics questioned why the university was facilitating a PhD for a senior official from a government that had repeatedly clashed with academic institutions.
Unger defended her role, arguing that educators should not discriminate between students on the basis of political affiliation. She later said the controversy had made her “bulletproof” against public attacks.
Identifying ‘facilitators’
During her parliamentary hearing, Unger said the office should focus not only on recovering assets but also on identifying the institutional chains and decision-makers that enabled corruption.
“Who were the players who assisted in this? Who was the prosecutor who did not initiate proceedings? Who in the central bank failed to prevent the loss of assets but did nothing against it?” Unger asked.
She said officials tasked with protecting the public purse but who failed to act should be identified.
Unger also warned against expecting immediate results, noting that while six years could be enough to bring indictments, final judgments often take much longer in Hungary’s legal system.
Her comments prompted accusations of “sabotage” from former prime ministerial candidate Péter Márki-Zay. Magyar defended the appointment, saying that while criminal proceedings take time, his government remained committed to changing the status quo.
Unger’s mandate will begin on 1 September. The office is still seeking three additional deputies after previous applications were declared invalid.
