Hungarian prosecutors begin inquiry into suspected Nazi-era crimes

Lajos Polgar is accused of being a member of the Arrow Cross, the Nazis' Hungarian WWII allies.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
arrow cross 88 (photo credit: )
arrow cross 88
(photo credit: )
Prosecutors have launched an inquiry into possible crimes against Jews committed during World War II by a Hungarian-born man now living in Australia, officials said Wednesday. Lajos Polgar is accused of being a member of the Arrow Cross, the Nazis' Hungarian WWII allies. The Jerusalem office of the US-based Simon Wiesenthal Center asked Hungarian authorities to investigate Polgar's wartime activities. Prosecutors were investigating the case, said Zoltan Borbely, a spokesman for the prosecutor general's office. He said the inquiry would be completed within 30 days. Copies of court records from the 1940s included in the center's request allegedly show that Polgar made numerous decisions affecting Hungarian Jews and may have participated in killings and persecutions. According to Australian media reports, Polgar, 89, acknowledged having been a member of the Arrow Cross but denied committing crimes against Jews. Charles Zentai, another Hungarian living in Australia, is to face an extradition hearing next year. He is accused of murdering a Jewish teenager in 1944. The case against Zentai, 83, was also brought to light by the Simon Wiesenthal Center.