Viktor Orbán’s grip on Hungary’s courts threatens rule of law, warns judge

Csaba Vasvari's claims of overreach' follow freeze on EU funds over concerns about judicial independence

Viktor Orban's government is constantly overreaching" its authority to sway the courts, a senior judge has said, in an intervention that will deepen alarm about the rule of law in Hungary.

In rare comments that lift the lid on the Hungarian government's assault on judicial checks and balances, Csaba Vasvari, a senior judge at the Budapest metropolitan court, told the Observer that he and his colleagues on the bench have been witnessing external and internal influence attempts" for several years. Vasvari, who has worked as a judge for 18 years, is a spokesperson for the National Judicial Council, a self-governing body that has been battling to defend judges' independence for more than a decade.