Debtors' Prison For Politicians

The Economist reports:

Hungarians have long been known for their inventiveness. The definition of a Magyar, the old joke goes, is someone who enters a revolving door behind you but comes out in front. The government now seems to be applying a similar ingenuity to jurisprudence.

Government officials and MPs from the ruling right-wing Fidesz party are calling for legal action against three former Socialist prime ministers, Péter Medgyessy, Ferenc Gyurcsány and Gordon Bajnai, for allowing the state debt to spiral from 53% of GDP in 2002 to 80% in 2010.

A parliamentary committee concluded that “a political crime against Hungary” had been committed, said Péter Szijjártó, spokesman for Viktor Orbán, the prime minister (pictured). Should any legal investigation find that there is a case to answer, the prosecutor’s office could bring criminal charges.

The announcement caused uproar in parliament. Opposition MPs condemned the move as “nonsense” and “political persecution”. But Hungary is not the only European country to consider making its former leaders pay for their mistakes. Geir Haarde, a former prime minister of Iceland, is on trial before a special court, accused of negligence contributing to the 2008 banking crash. He denies the charges.

No comment from Barack Obama on this one.