The State's Super-Authority Removes Non-Compliant Bailiffs from the Schadl System
The Supervisory Authority of Regulated Activities is filtering through the ranks of bailiffs under the pretext of restoring public confidence in the profession. Despite ongoing investigations by the prosecution, there is still no guarantee against corruption.
A former vice-president of the Hungarian Chamber of Judicial Officers (MBVK), Tamás Lukács, has filed a subsidiary private prosecution against a former bailiff from Pécs and Mohács, who was expelled from the profession, for breach of trust and other property-related crimes at the Szekszárd District Court. Lukács himself was actively working as a bailiff in Pécs until last autumn when he was suspended officially for undisclosed reasons but allegedly due to another criminal case. He was the deputy of the former MBVK president, György Schadl, but remained unaffected by the scandal and continued to handle affairs for over a year after his boss was exposed.
Now, his wife, also a bailiff, Laura Ágnes Fiedler, fills in for him. She is the daughter of the Constitutional Court judge Ágnes Czine (more on her involvement with bailiffs in our featured article below). However, it is uncertain whether a criminal trial against Lukács will commence, as the court according to information provided to HVG has not yet decided on accepting the indictment. They added that a subsidiary private prosecution is submitted to the court if a complaint had been made earlier but the investigation was closed without an indictment.
For three years, Tamás Lukács replaced the bailiff who has now filed a subsidiary private prosecution against him, who was dismissed after 27 years over a minor disciplinary offense. According to the plaintiff, during this time, Lukács appropriated his office for his personal gain, taking money, equipment, and documents without accounting for them. The MBVK, however, did not call him to account for this, even though the Constitutional Court declared last year that the paragraphs allowing the taking over of bailiffs' offices by deputies are unconstitutional and annulled them. However, at least in March this year, seven older bailiffs including Schadl's main rival, the "dangerous Cs." referred to as Csaba Radics who were similarly ousted from their office, testified at the prosecutor's office, which, they hope, will finally begin a meaningful investigation into their cases.