Due to a high-profile scandal over the pardon of a convicted person in a case of sexual abuse in an orphanage, Hungarian President Katalin Nowak resigned.
The presidential pardon caused a huge outcry in society: at least a thousand people protested in the center of the Hungarian capital, demanding Nowak’s resignation for her decision to pardon a man who was convicted as an accomplice for covering up sexual abuse in an orphanage. In resigning, Novak said:
“I made a mistake. The decision to pardon and the lack of justification could have raised doubts. There is not and cannot be any doubt. I would never pardon anyone who abuses children. Protecting children is our common duty. I apologize to those who who I hurt, and any victims who may have felt like I didn’t support them.”
She added that she hopes the new president will not make mistakes, and if he does, he will take responsibility by resigning from office. The new president of Hungary must be elected by parliament within 30 days after the end of her term of office.
The scandal is linked to Katalin Nowak’s decision to pardon about twenty people ahead of the Pope’s visit in April 2023. Among them was the deputy director of the orphanage, who helped the former director hide the crimes. The director of the institution was sentenced to eight years in prison for sexually abusing several minor boys in 2004-2016.
Hungarian opposition parties demanded Novak’s resignation. Shortly after this, former Hungarian Justice Minister Judit Varga announced her retirement from politics for a similar reason – due to her involvement in the pardon of a convicted pedophile. Varga announced her decision on Facebook, writes “European truth”. The ex-minister noted that she “takes political responsibility” for the president signing a decree on a high-profile pardon, since she then headed the Ministry of Justice:
“In order for the President’s decision to issue an individual pardon to be valid, the additional signature of the Secretary of Justice is required.”
She announced that she was leaving “public life, resigning as a member of parliament” and would not lead the list of Viktor Orban’s Fidesz party in the European Parliament elections: “Hungary can continue to count on me to defend our national interests and values.”
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