Born on June 26, 1955 in Budapest. He graduated from the Faculty of Law of Eötvös Loránd University of Sciences in 1979. He took the special examination of law in 1982. After graduation he worked in the Ministry of Finance, from 1988 as the head of the Legal Department and between 1990 and 1991 as Deputy Secretary of State. He was editor in chief of the Official Gazette of the Ministry of Finance and the member of the editor board of the Official Collection of Law. From 1991 he was the tax consultancy director of consulting company Arthur Andersen and subsequently the CEO of Concordia Insurance Brokerage Ltd. (Concordia Biztosítási Bróker Kft.).  

Between 1994 and 1998 he was the Administrative State Secretary of the Ministry of Finance. From 1999 he was the deputy CEO of ABN-AMRO Bank Ltd. (ABN-AMRO Bank Rt.) and subsequently the CEO of the same bank and thereafter the member of the Board of Directors of Kereskedelmi és Hitelbank Plc. (Kereskedelmi és Hitelbank Rt.) and deputy CEO of the same bank until 2001. Between 1995 and 1998 he was a member of the central bank committee of the Hungarian National Bank. Between 1996 and 1998 he was the president of the Treasury Council and between 1997 and 1998 he was the Chairman of the Board of the National Deposit Insurance Fund.  

On May 27, 2002 he became Prime Minister Péter Medgyessy's Chief of Cabinet and subsequently he was the Minister of Finance between 2004 and 2005. He has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Hungarian Electricity Board Plc. (Magyar Villamos Művek Zrt.) between 2004 and 2007. From June 2006 until July 2007 he has been the head of the State Reform Committee. 

From July 1 2007 until February 18 2008 he has been Minister without Portfolio in charge of public administration. From February 19 2008 he is Minister of Justice and Law Enforcement. 

He is married with three children.