National Judicial Council annuls controversial agreement made with government

The National Judicial Council (Országos Bírói Tanács – OBT) decided to annul the highly controversial four-party agreement made with the government last fall, Telex has learnt.

The decision was also reported by HVG, which said that the agenda item was adopted with 10 votes in favour and 2 abstentions. The President of the Curia, Zs. András Varga – who is an ex officio member of the body, did not vote.

HVG reports that the meeting was also attended by Justice Minister Bence Tuzson, who was last there at the inaugural meeting a year ago.

Wednesday's meeting was not attended by Péter Szabó, who signed the agreement with the government as the then chairman of the OBT and who then resigned from his post in December after the deal raised suspicions of political pressure in judicial circles. After Szabó's resignation, the OBT issued a statement saying: 'The tasks and powers of the OBT are defined by law, which the Council may not exceed, and it shall act solely in accordance with these rules.' The idea was subsequently raised that the OBT might review the agreement.

Edit Hilbert, the National Judicial Council's former president, said in an interview with HVG on Tuesday that regardless of how well-intentioned the organisation is, it has been caught in a trap with the agreement signed on 22 November 2024, which included a significant overhaul of the judicial system. She said the OBT was currently suffering due to the incompetence of enthusiastic amateurs and a lack of familiarity with the law, and added that Szabó had overstepped his powers by secretly negotiating with the justice minister on the details of the wage agreement with the government.