Hungary to set up courts overseen directly by government

FILE PHOTO: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban delivers a speech in front of the House of Terror during the celebrations of the 62nd anniversary of the Hungarian Uprising of 1956, in Budapest, Hungary, October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo/File Photo

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary passed a law on Wednesday to set up courts overseen directly by the justice minister, a move critics said would allow political interference in judicial matters and further undermine the rule of law.

The administrative courts will take over cases about government business such as taxation and elections currently handled in the main legal system. The government said the courts would be presided over by independent judges who would be able to handle cases more efficiently.