Hungarian Justice Minister Judit Varga is slated to be the lead candidate for the ruling Fidesz party in next year’s European parliamentary elections, according to pro-government daily Magyar Nemzet. Varga could also be the government’s designated candidate for the new European Commission.

The media report by the government mouthpiece confirms earlier speculation that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will replace the 42-year-old lawyer, who has been tainted by the largest corruption scandal exposed in his regime and the illegal wiretapping of government critics via Pegasus spyware.

Varga, a polyglot with vast experience in the EU bureaucracy, could also become Orban’s top pick for commissioner-designate. A senior Hungarian official told Politico that this could be a "realistic scenario".

Varga worked for nine years as a political adviser in the European Parliament until 2018, including as a member of the team of MEP Janos Ader for three years. The Fidesz founder would later serve two five-year terms as Hungarian president from 2012.

Varga’s predecessor, Istvan Trocsanyi, was Orban’s first candidate for the Neighbourhood and Enlargement portfolio four years ago, but the EP’s Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) torpedoed the appointment due to his conflict of interest. The prime minister later nominated Oliver Varhelyi for the post.

Varga, an Orban loyalist, is well-known in Brussels and Strasbourg for her confrontational style and the bashing of EU institutions and leaders on social media. She has played down criticism of the government, which has become increasingly isolated in the European arena, which only grew worse after Fidesz was forced to leave the EPP political grouping.

She assisted in the country’s autocratic shift, the demolition of the rule of law and the curbing of other freedoms as the EP declared Hungary a hybrid regime.

The justice minister’s reputation suffered a huge blow after her state secretary Pal Volner was arrested for accepting bribes from the head of the Hungarian Chamber of Bailiffs (MBVK).

According to the indictment, Schadl paid the Fidesz politician HUF83mn (€224,000) in bribes between May 2018 and July 2021 to represent his interest and arrange licenses for bailiffs or push people out of business.

Volner became the highest-ranking Fidesz politician to fall from grace, in a corruption case that exposed a mafia-style operation of bailiffs, overseen by the justice ministry, with the implicit support of state bodies.

According to independent media and opposition leaders, the undercover investigations and wiretapping were suspended after threads were leading to a higher level of government.

MBVK president Gyorgy Schadl, who faces a ten-year sentence if found guilty, had initiated personal talks with Varga and, according to unconfirmed reports, at least one meeting actually took place.

Critics argue that Varga should also be held responsible for the the bailiffs scam, which went on for years.

The justice minister has also dodged responsibility for the Pegasus spyware scandal. The government used the high-tech Israel software against politicians, business leaders critical of the government and investigative journalists working on sensitive articles exposing corruption and shady dealings.

EP’s Pegasus Committee found that Varga had broad powers to authorise the use of the spyware, citing broadly-defined national security reasons, but persons unjustifiably targeted were not informed of the surveillance.

Varga refused to meet with the delegation members during a February visit to Budapest.