Hungary’s Integrity Authority chief Ferenc Pál Biró has accused senior officials and state-linked companies of possible large-scale graft over public contracts, but prosecutors have also brought criminal charges against him. The case has intensified scrutiny of corruption, political pressure and the handling of European Union funds in Viktor Orbán’s former government.
Prosecutors move against Biró
As reported by OCCRP, Hungarian prosecutors said they are pressing charges against Ferenc Pál Biró, the head of the Integrity Authority, even as he pushed for a sweeping inquiry into alleged corruption in state procurement.
Dr Géza Fazekas, a spokesperson for Hungary’s prosecution service, told OCCRP that the Integrity Authority had contacted the Office of the Prosecutor General “in various cases on several occasions” and said prosecutors act on all suspicions of criminal offences brought to their attention.
He also said the Central Chief Prosecution Office of Investigation has filed charges against Biró over alleged misappropriation of funds and other crimes.
Alleged graft claims
According to the OCCRP report, Politico cited Biró as saying that “high-level politicians can and may well be prosecuted” over the alleged manipulation of state contracts.
The watchdog said three unnamed companies received roughly 10 billion euros, or about 11.6 billion dollars, in government contracts over the past four years.
It also claimed that the contracts carried suspected overpricing risks of around 3.5 billion euros, or about 4.1 billion dollars.
Charges against Biró
OCCRP reported that the charges against Biró relate to contracts worth more than 100 million forints, or about 295,000 dollars, awarded to a Brussels-based consulting firm.
The prosecution service also alleged that Biró used an Authority bank card for personal spending of 1.5 million forints, or about 4,400 dollars
That account places the anti-corruption chief at the centre of the same kind of misconduct claims he was publicly raising against others.
Earlier raids and suspicions
The BBC reported in January 2025 that Hungarian authorities carried out searches at the Integrity Authority’s offices, which oversee the allocation of European Union funds.
The BBC said the chief prosecutor revealed that Ferenc Biro, the agency’s chairman, was suspected of corruption and abuse of authority, and police also searched his home and seized documents.
The same reporting said prosecutors accused Biro of hindering the work of his two deputy chairpersons.
Biro’s response
According to the BBC, Biro rejected the allegations and said he was being targeted for political reasons.
He said the investigation was meant to undermine the Integrity Authority’s work, adding that officials had “specifically targeted me” and sought to weaken the agency.
The BBC also reported that he acknowledged allowing his official vehicle to be used by his wife for shopping, but denied the wider accusations.
Wider corruption backdrop
The Hungarian Conservative reported on 7 June 2026 that Biró accused senior officials in Viktor Orbán’s former government of obstructing anti-corruption investigations.
That report said Biró estimated systemic corruption may have cost Hungary as much as 60 trillion forints, or around 150 billion euros, over the past 16 years.
It also said he described years of political pressure, institutional resistance, criminal proceedings against himself and alleged intimidation of his family.
EU funds and oversight
The Integrity Authority was created to help oversee the use of European Union money in Hungary, making the case especially sensitive for Brussels as well as Budapest.
The BBC’s reporting linked the raids to concerns about the allocation of EU funds, while OCCRP’s report framed the controversy around alleged procurement manipulation and possible overpricing.
Taken together, the reports suggest a clash between anti-corruption oversight and the institutions tasked with enforcing it.
Political implications
The allegations matter because they reach into the core of Hungary’s state contracting system and the political environment shaped by Orbán’s long rule.
OCCRP said the watchdog’s claims pointed to possible high-level involvement, while prosecutors responded by moving against the very official making those claims.
That combination has fuelled concern about whether anti-corruption enforcement in Hungary can operate independently when the chief investigator himself is under criminal scrutiny.
Reporting detail
OCCRP’s account emphasised the scale of the contracts at issue and the prosecution service’s decision to charge Biró.
The BBC’s earlier reporting provided the procedural detail that authorities searched the Integrity Authority’s offices and Biró’s home, while also noting his denial of political targeting.
The Hungarian Conservative piece added the broader claim that corruption has been systemic and financially enormous over more than a decade under the previous Orbán government.
The latest reports show a deepening corruption dispute in Hungary, with allegations aimed at senior political figures now colliding with criminal charges against the anti-corruption chief.
As the case develops, it is likely to remain a test of Hungary’s credibility on rule of law, public procurement and EU fund oversight.
