Former Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó could face up to three years in prison in a criminal case related to alleged bribery.
The investigation was initially conducted by the prosecution service, but the case materials were later transferred to the Budapest Police Headquarters in accordance with its jurisdiction.
Szijjártó is no longer a member of the Hungarian Parliament and has therefore lost his parliamentary immunity. If his guilt is proven, the former diplomat could face a prison sentence.
The investigation began amid a scandal following the leak of recordings of Szijjártó’s phone conversations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
According to the available materials, the former Hungarian foreign minister shared information with his Russian counterpart about closed-door meetings and discussions within the European Union.
In addition, Szijjártó reportedly offered Moscow assistance on the issue of easing EU sanctions against Russia. He also asked Lavrov to provide arguments that the Hungarian diplomatic service could use at meetings of foreign ministers of EU member states.
Source: jnews.az
