Hungary Fires Spy Chiefs, Buda Péter Tapped as Supervisor

Hungary's Tisza government has dismissed the directors of the three civilian intelligence agencies, journalist Panyi Szabolcs reported on Facebook on Thursday. The agencies are the Információs Hivatal, the Alkotmányvédelmi Hivatal, and the Nemzetbiztonsági Szakszolgálat. Panyi said multiple government and security sources confirmed the dismissals. The Prime Minister's Office, along with the Interior and Foreign ministries, did not respond to his questions.

Panyi had predicted the IH director's removal in a May Substack newsletter. The IH director, Oláh Krisztián, was appointed in 2022 under then-minister Rogán Antal, who had taken over civilian intelligence oversight. Oláh, who previously served as deputy director of operations at the AVH, got the post after Rogán's portfolio expansion.

No replacements for the dismissed directors have been announced yet, Panyi said. On the same day, he reported in the VSquare newsletter that Buda Péter, a respected national security expert, will serve as the professional supervisor of the intelligence services. Buda Péter will work under Tóth Péter, the national security chief advisor. Panyi is an investigative journalist who frequently covers security services.

The dismissals come as the Tisza government restructures state institutions after taking office. Buda Péter's appointment places a veteran figure in a key oversight role, though the exact scope of his authority was not detailed.