Court decision says that house search against Ökotárs was illegal

On September 8, last year  officers of the National Bureu of Investigation made house searches in the offices of Ökotárs Foundation and his partners and at some of the foundation's colleagues. Everyone who was involved in the searches - the Ökotárs Foundation, Veronika Móra director and Zsuzsa Foltányi board member - made complaints against the raids. The Central District Court of Buda upheld the complaint in its decision dated 23rd of January. The decision says that the search and seizure was illegal as suspicion of offense has not been established.

Contrary to the government's charges, the Court found that there were no grounds for suspicion of misapproproation during the searches and there was no ongoing investigation regarding the suspicion of unauthorized financial activity. This order of the Court cannot be appealed. Ökotárs welcomes the Court's decision, however, we are concerned about the phenomenon that the National Bureau of Investigation carries out illegal search and seizure upon clear political pressure in Hungary. Compliance with the principles and the word of law is the guarantee that similar cases cannot be repeated. We expect that the Hungarian government of all times shall not use public bodies to put political pressure as it damages democracy.