Judge Meeting with US Ambassador Releases Ex-National-Official Suspected of Child Pornography

Tamas Matusik, former head of Hungary's National Council of Judges, had ruled as a judge for the release of a man whose laptop was found to contain hundreds of child pornography images, Magyar Nemzet has learned. The suspect was put behind bars last fall, but the court terminated his arrest a few days ago. Since the prosecution appealed, the order is not final.

Tamas Matusik (second from left) visiting US Ambassador David Pressman (second from right) (Source: X)

Many people were shocked by the news published on Tuesday that a court had recently terminated the detention of the former head of the National Land Center (NFK), who is suspected of child pornography.  

The ex-chief, who has been in jail since being taken into custody in September 2023, was found to have nearly four hundred child pornography images on his company laptop. 

The court's decision came to light after MP Akos Hadhazy requested information about the status of the investigation from Hungary's Prosecutor General Peter Polt, who informed him that the police investigation into the crime of child pornography is ongoing, and that the prosecution's request for an extension of the suspect's arrest submitted on 14 March was rejected by the Central District Court of Buda, which instead ordered criminal supervision of the suspect, "to be carried out by means of a technical device monitoring the movements of the accused". The order is not final, as the prosecution has appealed the decision.

According to Magyar Nemzet's information, the judge deciding to terminate the arrest was Tamas Matusik, head of the Investigating Judiciary Group of the Central District Court of Buda, and former President of the National Council of Judges (OBT).

Visiting the US Ambassador

Matusik's name has become known in Hungarian public life not only for holding these positions, but also for causing a great stir when, as OBT President, he met twice with US Ambassador David Pressman, together with another OBT member Csaba Vasvari.

Even their first meeting at the US Embassy in Budapest caused outrage in both judicial circles and in the public, with the OBT later speaking out, trying to explain that it was a routine meeting, the conceptual framework of which was "quite standard in democracies".

Curia President Andras Zs. Varga pointed out, however, that 

certain embassies will of course foster contact with institutions of the host country, but the location of such official meetings is usually at the given host country institution's headquarters.

The Curia chief added that he was not aware that contact between the OBT and the US Ambassador had been on the agenda of either of the two OBT meetings back in October.

Point of reference

Also worth remembering is that the OBT, at the time still headed by Matusik, was the reference point for EU rule of law reports and provided the arguments for cutting off EU funds to Hungary. 

As recently as the past summer heated debates erupted over the European Commission's uncontrolled, out of hand acceptance of arbitrary opinions that violated the personal integrity of many judges, and that the OBT repeatedly refuted with data.

Regarding the points brought up against the Curia, Andras Zs. Varga among other things said that "I reject the findings for the umpteenth time as an unjustified political attack questioning the authority of the judiciary. And that this attack is based on the self-serving ambitions of some former and current members of the National Council of the Judiciary is something I find extremely regrettable. I disavow these ambitions not only on behalf of the Curia, but also on behalf of all honest Hungarian judges."

Cover photo: Tamas Matusik (second from left) visiting US Ambassador David Pressman (second from right) (Source: X)