Former Hungarian Central Bank Chief György Matolcsy Detained in Foundations Probe, Prime Minister Confirms
Former Hungarian central bank governor György Matolcsy was detained in Budapest on Wednesday as part of an investigation into foundations set up by the central bank during his tenure, Reuters reported, with several other people linked to the probe also taken into custody. Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced the detention in a Facebook post the same day, without providing details, saying that investigating abuses of the Viktor Orbán era was a priority for his administration.
The Central Investigative Chief Prosecutor's Office said in a statement that investigators were carrying out coordinated actions at several locations on Wednesday in the so-called NBH case, involving mismanagement of funds causing a particularly significant financial loss. The statement did not name Matolcsy, and prosecutors declined further comment. Matolcsy's lawyer, Pál Bátki, told the news website Telex that his client was suspected of economic fraud causing significant financial loss and of using a forged private document, and would be questioned later in the day. Matolcsy denies any wrongdoing; in April he said the bank had no legal mandate to interfere in the foundations' operations because they were acting independently.
Matolcsy served as economy minister under Orbán from 2010 to 2013 and as governor of the National Bank of Hungary from 2013 to 2025, and was considered one of Orbán's closest economic allies. His tenure was dogged by allegations over foundations endowed with hundreds of billions of forints in public money. Prosecutors and police have been investigating since early 2025, after a State Audit Office report raised concerns about a foundation and its asset management company; in May, prosecutors seized some 92 billion forints (about $300 million) in funds and securities in a money-laundering investigation involving the foundations.
Magyar ousted Orbán in an election in April and took power in May; Matolcsy is the most senior figure from the former government to be detained since then.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 匈牙利国家银行（Magyar Nemzeti Bank）在布达佩斯 Krisztina Plaza 的网点招牌。图：Globetrotter19 作，CC BY-SA 3.0，经维基共享资源。
