Hungarian justice minister resigns amid police corruption scandal News
Hungarian justice minister resigns amid police corruption scandal

[JURIST] Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany [BBC profile] announced the resignation of Justice Minister Jozsef Petretei Sunday following the surfacing of multiple allegations of police corruption, including a high-profile case [AP report] involving the alleged rape of a woman by five on-duty police officers in Budapest. Petretei's resignation still requires the approval of Hungarian President Laszlo Solyom [official website, in English].

Public confidence in the Hungarian police has been recently tainted by allegations of widespread corruption. Earlier this month, a police officer in Budapest was given a suspended jail sentence and dismissed from the police force after being convicted of pocketing more than $2,000 while supervising an investigation of an attempted robbery at a bank. Gyurcsany has also dismissed National Police Chief Laszlo Bene and Budapest Police Chief Peter Gergenyi. AP has more. The Budapest Sun has local coverage.