Prosecutors Raid Fidesz-Linked Data Center in National Cultural Fund Embezzlement Probe

Bács-Kiskun County prosecutors raided a Budapest data centre on July 21 that hosts servers used by Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party, part of a widening investigation into Hungary's state-run National Cultural Fund (Nemzeti Kulturális Alap). Investigators suspect the fund's Orbán-era decision-making body unlawfully awarded 1,079 grants worth more than 17 billion forints (roughly €47 million/$53.5 million) to artists and performers linked to Fidesz, some of whom actively campaigned for the party ahead of April's election. Six current and former officials face charges; all deny wrongdoing. Orbán called the raid 'a politically motivated legal proceeding' that used the graft probe as 'a pretext to seize Fidesz's servers,' aimed at making the party 'legally unviable.' A subsequent Euronews review published July 28 found no evidence the investigation itself breached rule-of-law standards, contrary to Orbán's claims.