Magyar Files Criminal Complaint Over Shredded Ministry Documents

What Was Found and Why It Matters
The discovery was made in the basement of the former Ministry of Construction and Transport building. According to Magyar, staff found between 15 and 20 sacks of shredded documents alongside boxes of campaign materials connected to Viktor Orbán's right-wing Fidesz party. Magyar shared footage on Facebook that appeared to show the shredded paper bags alongside campaign leaflets, signs carrying the slogan "Fidesz, the safe choice," and promotional items tied to János Lázár, who previously headed the ministry.

The finding immediately raised red flags. Magyar said the situation pointed to potentially serious offences, including illegal party financing and the use of state resources for political purposes — both of which would represent significant violations of public trust. "The State Audit Office should have examined these matters, and naturally, the police will also investigate," he said.

A formal criminal complaint is now being prepared, with Magyar promising updates once police questioning or other investigative steps get underway.

A New Government, Old Scores to Settle
The timing could hardly be more pointed. Magyar's government had only just taken office days earlier, having come to power on a platform built largely around pledges to root out corruption, challenge abuses of power, and scrutinize how state resources were managed under Orbán's long rule.

Magyar has not held back in laying out his case against the former administration. He has accused Orbán and senior Fidesz figures of running Hungary deep into debt while allowing politically connected oligarchs to enrich themselves through government contracts. The numbers he cites are stark — national debt climbing to nearly 75 percent of GDP, inflation hitting a painful peak of 26 percent in 2023, and tens of billions of forints flowing to well-connected individuals through public procurement.

Magyar's Tisza Party delivered a decisive blow to Orbán's hold on power in last month's election, winning 141 seats in the 199-member parliament and ending a 16-year stretch in which Fidesz had dominated Hungarian politics. The shredded documents story, emerging so early in the new government's tenure, suggests the process of untangling what happened during those years may be just getting started.