Thousands of people demonstrated in Budapest on Tuesday near the parliament to demand the resignation of the attorney general and Prime Minister Viktor Orban, after a former government spokesman revealed that a senior Orban aide tried to intervene in a bribery case.

Protesters marched from the attorney general’s office to parliament chanting “Resign, resign”, with many holding torches.

Peter Magyar earlier released a recording of a conversation with Judith Varga, then his wife and Hungary’s justice minister, in which he described an attempt by Orban’s chief cabinet aides to remove parts of documents in a bribery case.

The case centers on former Justice Department undersecretary Paul Wollner, who was indicted in 2022 for bribery by former chief bailiff Giorgi Sadl. Both pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors are seeking prison terms for the pair.

Prosecutors said in a statement that they would analyze the tape, which Magyar said he recorded in January 2023, and gather further evidence.

Prosecutors are due to hold a press conference on Thursday.

The allegations come at a politically sensitive time for Orban ahead of European parliamentary elections in June and after a sex-abuse scandal rocked two of his political allies, the former president and ex-Justice Minister Judith Varga last month.