Péter Magyar’s brother-in-law drops Hungary’s justice minister bid – POLITICO

Márton Melléthei-Barna withdrew his candidacy to become justice minister in Hungary’s incoming government on Thursday night following criticism over his family ties to incoming Prime Minister Péter Magyar.

The lawyer — who is married to Magyar’s sister, Anna Ilona Melléthei-Barna — said he was stepping aside to avoid undermining public confidence in the country’s political transition. “To ensure that not even the slightest shadow is cast on the transition, I consulted with Péter Magyar, and we agreed that it would best serve the interests of the country and the TISZA government” if another candidate took the role, he wrote in a Facebook post.

Melléthei-Barna insisted his appointment would have been “unassailable from legal, political, moral and human perspectives,” but acknowledged that his “family and friendship ties with the Prime Minister” had become a distraction at a sensitive political moment.