He visited parliament to announce that Justice Minister Jozsef Petretei, National Police Chief Laszlo Bene and Budapest Police Chief Peter Gergenyi would leave their posts by the end of the month.
"I want to announce that I accepted the resignations of the police chiefs," he added. "I also received the resignation letter from the justice minister which will be in effect from May 31", Gyurcsany said, adding that he would forward the letters of resignation to the president of Hungary.
Gyurcsany said the move was crucial to, in his words, ensure that "peace and confidence" once again "define Hungary."
CHURCHES PRAY
The measures were expected to be welcomed by Hungarian church groups who have been praying for a "moral and spiritual" revival in Hungary, which has seen one of the highest suicides rates in the world, BosNewsLife learned.
Gyurcsany’s government has also come under intense pressure from the conservative opposition after revelations that five officers were suspended for allegedly raping a woman on May 4, while on duty in downtown Budapest.
International human-rights group Amnesty International said in a report published by BosNewsLife this month that in many cases victims of rape are not taken seriously in Hungary.
CORRUPTION SCANDALS
There have been corruption scandals as well. Last week, 13 police officers and three others were detained after Hungarian prosecutors charged they told motorists stranded on highways to call certain towing services, which paid the police for the referrals.
And, earlier this month, a Budapest police officer received a suspended jail sentence for stealing more than $2,000 while supervising a cash count after an attempted bank robbery, in which the robber was shot and killed.
Hungarian police have also come under pressure amid allegations that they used disproportionate force during recent anti-government demonstrations. The protests began last year following revelations that Prime Minister Gyurcsany admitted to lying about the economy to win re-election. (Parts of this BosNewsLife story airs on Voice Of America. www.voanews.com)
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