Former Hungarian Foreign Minister Szijjártó’s Role in BYD Deal Under Scrutiny

Hungary’s government has opened an investigation into the BYD investment after Péter Szijjártó resigned from parliament to become an executive at the Chinese automaker. Prime Minister Péter Magyar said the probe will scrutinize decisions and negotiations that Szijjártó made or influenced while in office, including subsidies, tax breaks, permits, environmental exemptions, and infrastructure support provided to BYD. The move follows accusations of a conflict of interest after Szijjártó’s transition to the private sector, with neither BYD nor he responding to the claims yet.