Gazeta Lodz - Hungary's Orban says graft case is 'pretext' to target his party

The prosecutor's office responded, telling AFP they had no other option other than to seize the data after a "lack of cooperation" from its proprietors.

Authorities have launched a probe into the state-run National Cultural Fund after Orban was ousted from power in April elections by pro-EU conservative challenger Peter Magyar.

Independent media outlets allege the cultural fund served as a state-run payment centre for Fidesz's inner circle, as well as a shadow campaign fund.

Prosecutors suspect the fund's decision-making body had issued 1,079 grants totalling more than 17 billion forints ($54 million) in violation of funding rules.

On Tuesday, they raided a data centre hosting Fidesz party servers as part of an investigation into the case.

"By yesterday, I had come to realise what this was all about," Orban told journalists in front of the party's headquarters.

"What happened was that this served as a pretext to seize Fidesz's servers," he added.

"This is a politically motivated legal proceeding designed to render Fidesz -- which has clearly survived even this heavy political defeat and is growing stronger -- legally unviable."

He also rejected a suggestion from a journalist that investigators had the right to take action.

"In my view, if a political party's server... is seized by the government of a rival political force, that is a problem... I don't think I need to explain this," he said.

County prosecutors say it was not possible to make a copy of the "electronic evidence relating to the case" at the scene.

"Due to the volume of the electronic data and the lack of cooperation, it was not possible to copy the data stored on the servers onsite... so the prosecutor’s office decided to seize the data storage devices," spokeswoman Marianna Bodo told AFP.

She confirmed a seventh suspect had been detained in connection with the case, whom Fidesz identified as a former government official and staff member for the party's parliamentary group.

Six people accused of embezzlement have been in custody since last month, including Fidesz politician Balazs Bus, who served as the culture fund's vice-president.

- "Puppets" -

Magyar's government has moved to turn the page on the Orban era, passing a swathe of anti-corruption measures and introducing term-limits into the constitution that bar his predecessor from running again.

The pro-EU leader is also pushing to remove top state officials he accuses of being "puppets". They include the former president Tamas Sulyok, forced out by a constitutional amendment on Sunday.

Fidesz has denounced Magyar's moves as "autocratic", a charge that was often levelled against Orban himself during his tenure.

Late Tuesday, the nationalist ex-leader published a "declaration of resistance" on Facebook, calling Hungary's political system "illegitimate" and vowing to "employ all peaceful means" to oppose "authoritarianism".

T.Chmielewski--GL