The Justice Minister of Hungary, Bence Tuzson, has announced that authorities are investigating journalist Szabolcs Panyi over alleged collaboration with foreign intelligence services to spy on his own country.
The development was revealed on March 26, 2026, during a press briefing by Gergely Gulyás at the Office of the Prime Minister.
Speaking to journalists, Gulyás said that intelligence-related information circulating in Hungary currently points to Panyi as a key figure.
“Today in Hungary, the information we have indicates espionage activity. One of the individuals involved is Szabolcs Panyi, and it has emerged that he previously spied on his own country in cooperation with a foreign state,” he said.
Panyi is associated with the Hungarian investigative outlet VSquare, which reportedly receives funding from organizations based in the United States and Europe.
According to Hungarian officials, audio recordings released last week allegedly captured Panyi admitting that he had shared the phone number of Hungary’s Foreign Minister, Péter Szijjártó, with an intelligence agency from a European country.
Security agencies reportedly used the number to collect metadata, including information about incoming and outgoing calls as well as other related communications.
Authorities claim that the intelligence gathered was later used to leak details of a conversation between Szijjártó and Sergey Lavrov. The information subsequently appeared in international media outlets including The Washington Post and Politico.
Following the publication of the reports, Panyi and Hungarian opposition figure Péter Magyar used the leaked material to suggest that Szijjártó and Lavrov were secretly cooperating.
In response, Szijjártó stated that as one of the longest-serving foreign ministers within the European Union, he frequently communicates with Lavrov while delivering diplomatic messages from other European counterparts.
Gulyás also defended the contact, noting that maintaining relations between countries is part of normal diplomacy as long as it does not conflict with Hungary’s national interests.
Justice Minister Tuzson confirmed that the case has now been forwarded to investigative authorities, emphasizing that espionage of the kind allegedly committed by Panyi is considered a serious crime in Hungary and can lead to lengthy prison sentences if proven in court.
