Hungary's parliament has elected political scientist Anna Unger to head the newly established National Asset Recovery and Protection Office (NVVH), but the appointment has sparked debate among Tisza Party supporters and raised questions over both the selection process and Unger's qualifications, Telex.hu writes.

The creation of the new office, tasked with investigating the alleged misuse of public assets, recovering unlawfully obtained state property and pursuing corruption cases, fulfils a key campaign promise Peter Magyar following Tisza's April election victory, which ended Viktor Orban's 16-year tenure.

The NVVH is designed to investigate cases involving the loss or misuse of public wealth and to trace, secure and recover assets derived from criminal activity. It will have the power to initiate legal proceedings and to request action from other authorities, including in administrative and criminal cases. The office with a staff of around 200, will be headed by a president supported by four deputies responsible for public finances, investigations, prosecution and appeals.

Unger, an associate professor at ELTE University, received 137 votes in a secret parliamentary ballot on August 28, with seven MPs voting against her and one abstaining. Prosecutor Katalin Tasnady was elected deputy head responsible for investigations, receiving 139 votes, with six against. Their six-year mandates begin on September 1.

The selection process began in late July, when parliament's justice and constitutional affairs committee opened applications for the president and four deputy positions. A total of 96 applications were submitted for the top job. Three candidates were eventually heard by the committee: Unger, Miklos Ligeti, legal director of Transparency International Hungary and a corruption researcher, and Nicholas Sarvari, a Hungarian-Canadian cybersecurity and risk-management specialist. Corruption researcher David Jancsics withdrew before the hearing, after which the Tisza parliamentary group nominated Sarvari in his place. The committee subsequently backed Unger.

Critics have questioned Unger's track record in fighting corruption compared with Ligeti, who has headed Transparency International Hungary's legal office for 14 years and has extensive experience in corruption cases and legal proceedings. Others questioned the decision to introduce Sarvari after the original application process was already underway.

Some Tisza supporters have publicly argued that Ligeti would have been a more credible choice given his professional background. Social media also saw a wave of claims questioning Unger's competence, alongside unsubstantiated allegations linking her to a Fidesz oligarch. Independent MP Akos Hadhazy, a prominent critic of the previous Orban government, has sought access to the scoring system used to assess the candidates.

Opposition Fidesz boycotted the parliamentary vote and said it would ask the Constitutional Court to annul the law establishing the NVVH. The party has argued that the institution has excessively broad investigative powers and could become an instrument of political retaliation.

The controversy has exposed divisions within the wider pro-Tisza camp, with some supporters backing the government's stated goal of accountability while questioning the credibility of the appointment. A fresh poll found that 57% of respondents did not know Unger well enough to assess her appointment. Among those expressing an opinion, 28% considered her a poor choice and 16% a good one. Even among Tisza voters, 27% viewed the appointment negatively, compared with 21% who considered it a good choice.

In her committee hearing Unger has acknowledged that identifying wrongdoing and recovering the proceeds will be separate and potentially lengthy processes, particularly where assets have been moved through complex corporate structures or abroad.

In her first interview after the appointment with Telex.hu, Unger said the office's first investigations could begin before the end of the year, once it has been established and a methodology for identifying and securing lost public assets has been developed. She expects the methodology to be completed by the end of December.

The office could launch investigations based on complaints or following its own public-asset risk assessments. Companies that had generated at least 75% of their net revenue from public procurement over the previous five years would be subject to investigation by the office

She estimated that between HUF20 trillion-60 trillion (€54.7bn-164.2bn) in assets could potentially need to be traced, although she stressed that the office would not set a fixed target for the amount of money to be recovered. Its task, she said, would be to establish how much public wealth had been lost, secure what can be found and pursue its recovery through legal proceedings.

She also sought to temper expectations for immediate high-profile arrests, stressing that the NVVH must operate under the rule of law.

"The proper procedure is not to simply go to Felcsut and tell Lorinc Meszaros, come with me," Unger said, referring to the village associated with Orban and the billionaire businessman. She said cases must instead be built on evidence and pursued through legal procedures.

In the interview, Unger also used the term "Felcsut State Audit Office" to describe what she said was a closely connected group that allegedly decided on state investments worth more than HUF500bn. She declined to name individuals, saying that names should only emerge once evidence has been collected and formal investigations launched.

The objective, she said, should be to uncover the mechanisms behind systemic corruption rather than simply target individuals. Unger said she hoped to examine the system behind public-asset losses within three years.

She also said she wanted to build a politically neutral institution that brings together experts from academia, civil society, law enforcement, and other fields. Unger said she would welcome Ligeti's expertise and could see him playing a role in corruption research within the new institution.

At a press conference after the vote, Magyar dismissed the public debate over the candidates as a "reality show vote," saying the selection was based on professional criteria and urging support for the new office.

Magyar defended the selection process and rejected allegations of a backroom agreement between Tisza and Fidesz, a rumour that spread after Unger's appointment. He said he had spoken by phone with Ligeti after the parliamentary vote and that he also said the process was  legitimate.

Magyar acknowledgted that the new office would suck awas experts from the tax office and the procesuction, hile the government would provide adequate funding and seek to accelerate criminal proceedings.

The  performance of the head of NVVH should ultimately be judged by the institution's results, he added

He also highlighted Tasnady as potentially the most important operational figure within the new office. She has spent 20 years working in criminal law, including 16 years in law-enforcement and prosecution organisations, and has experience in major corruption and official misconduct cases. Magyar said her task would be to uncover major economic crimes and identify those responsible.

Tasnady's appointment also addresses one of the main criticisms of Unger's selection. While the president will be responsible for building and directing the institution, the law gives the deputy presidents significant independence within their respective areas. Three other deputy positions, covering public finances, prosecution and appeals, have yet to be filled.

Magyar has also promised legislation to accelerate criminal proceedings, arguing that investigations, prosecutions and court cases should not take five to 10 years.

The government's broader objective is for the NVVH to become a central instrument for examining state procurement, concessions, public assets transferred to foundations, allegedly overpriced investments, EU funds, central bank-linked financial structures, political financing, and opaque investment vehicles, Index.hu writes.