Chief Prosecutor's Office: Police conducted independent investigation against István Szakács over June video
The Budapest Metropolitan Chief Prosecutor's Office contradicted claims by the Interior Ministry on Thursday: the police did not consult, but merely announced the proceedings.
Chief Prosecutor's Office contradicts Interior Ministry statement: police acted independently in István Szakács case
The Budapest Metropolitan Chief Prosecutor's Office issued a statement on Thursday morning regarding the Wednesday morning police summons and suspect interrogation of István Szakács, a Fidesz-affiliated influencer – according to 444. The prosecution office responded after the Interior Ministry released a brief statement on Wednesday evening claiming that "the investigative authority conducted all substantive procedural actions in consultation with the prosecution office."
The prosecution office's statement reveals that this "consultation" was in fact nothing more than notification that police had initiated proceedings. The investigation has so far been conducted solely on the basis of decisions made within police jurisdiction.
Ordering the investigation and the prosecution's role
The National Investigation Bureau of the Ready Reserve Police informed the Budapest Metropolitan Chief Prosecutor's Office in writing on 3 July 2026 that it had ordered an investigation that day for the crime of threatening to commit a terrorist act. According to police information, the basis of the investigation was "a video message published by an influencer at the end of June 2026" – the statement said.
Subsequently, on Tuesday 7 July, the investigative authority contacted the chief prosecutor's office again and "stated as fact that in this case a search would be conducted at the influencer's premises, he would be summoned and interrogated as a suspect." The responsible prosecutor verbally drew the investigative authority's attention to the need to "examine with particular thoroughness whether the given act genuinely satisfies the relevant statutory elements of the Criminal Code."
After news about Szakács appeared on Wednesday, the prosecution office requested information about the proceedings. The police reported by phone: they had conducted a search at the influencer's premises, interrogated him as a suspect, the man filed a complaint against the suspicion, but he was not detained.
The framework of criminal procedure law
The prosecution office's statement also recalls that under the criminal procedure law, during the investigative phase preceding suspect interrogation, the investigative authority acts independently. Prosecutorial approval is not required to establish reasonable suspicion, and no such approval took place in this case.
"The Budapest Metropolitan Chief Prosecutor's Office will be in a position to assess the lawfulness of the suspicion when examining the complaint against the suspicion. The complaint and case documents arrived at the prosecution office from the police this morning" – concludes the prosecution office's statement, adding that it will inform the public about the result of the examination.
The June video and background
According to 444, it is almost certain that the investigation is based on the video in which István Szakács responded to Magyar Péter requesting an immediate answer from the prosecution office regarding the golden convoy case: whether Viktor Orbán had been questioned as a suspect. In the video, Szakács sent a message to Magyar: do not try to have Orbán taken away "by his cronies", because if that happened, "five hundred thousand Hungarians would go" and would free him from anywhere. According to Péter Takács, the suspicion is preparation of a terrorist act.
On Wednesday, Szakács told RTL that the "ambiguous" video was made whilst he was intoxicated, and in his view no one could seriously think he would personally take Viktor Orbán out of prison.
The influencer became nationally known when in summer 2024 he offered two boxes of Xanax to Dániel Karsai, who has incurable ALS.
The National Police Headquarters did not respond, the Interior Ministry statement remained unclear
The National Police Headquarters only stated in response to 444's written questions on Wednesday that "pursuant to Act CXII of 2011 on the right to informational self-determination and freedom of information, they are unable to respond for data protection reasons." A few hours later, the Interior Ministry issued the statement that the chief prosecutor's office's Thursday statement essentially refuted.
None of the authorities publicly named István Szakács: the statements referred to him only as a "known activist" or "influencer". In connection with the golden convoy case, the names János Hajdu, Örs Farkas and Tamás Demeter also came up.
Source: 444