Orban’s Controversial Top Prosecutor Tapped for New 9-Year Term

(Bloomberg) -- Peter Polt, Hungary’s controversial chief prosecutor who’s an ally of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, was nominated to a new nine-year term by the country’s president.

Polt has been criticized by Transparency International, the corruption watchdog, for failing to pursue cases related to the government and businesses with close ties to Orban and his party. The chief prosecutor has maintained that he acts independently.

The appointment of Polt, a former lawmaker in Orban’s Fidesz party, will be a formality as the ruling party has the two-thirds parliamentary majority needed for approval. President Janos Ader announced Polt’s nomination in a letter to parliament on Tuesday.

To contact the reporter on this story: Zoltan Simon in Budapest at zsimon@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Balazs Penz at bpenz@bloomberg.net, Michael Winfrey

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.