Viktor Orban has been dealt a huge blow after Hungary’s President resigned after sparking a backlash for pardoning a man involved in a child sex abuse case.
Katalin Novak, 46, issued a presidential pardon for a man convicted of concealing child sex abuse at a state-run children’s home.
Novak, who secretly pardoned the man in April 2023, quit after protests took place across Hungary.
She said: “I issued a pardon that caused bewilderment and unrest for many people. I made a mistake.”
Her statement added: “Based on the request for clemency and the information available, I decided in April last year in favour of clemency in the belief that the convict did not abuse the vulnerability of the children entrusted to him.
“I made a mistake, because the decision to pardon and the lack of justification were apt to raise doubts about zero tolerance for paedophilia. But here, there is not and nor can there be any doubt.”
Novak is a key ally of Orban and was the first woman to become Hungarian President in 2022.
She has been a vocal advocate of “traditional family values” and the protection of children.
Protests took place across Hungary
REUTERS
The convict in the case was sentenced to more than three years in prison in 2018.
He was found to pressured victims of the director of the children’s home into silence.
The head of the organisation was jailed for eight years for abusing at least 10 children between 2004 and 2016.
Justice Minister Judit Varga was also embroiled in the scandal after endorsing Novak’s decision.
Varga announced her resignation on social media on Saturday.
She confirmed she would “retire from public life, resigning my seat as a member of parliament and also as leader of the EP list”.
The populist Fidesz Party, which first entered power in 2010, is facing turmoil as Orban continues to fend off accusations of electoral rigging and media censorship.
Novak’s Fidesz party, which has been in power since 2010, is facing turmoil as leader Orban fends off allegations of electoral rigging and media censorship.
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