Hungary's anti-corruption agency has launched an investigation into Orbán's inner circle — Politico
Hungary’s anti-corruption agency has launched an investigation into possible misuse of European Union funds involving high-ranking officials in Viktor Orbán’s government. The investigation concerns alleged embezzlement of European funds, which could lead to the prosecution of a number of officials.
The agency he heads has uncovered a number of cases that may indicate systematic misuse of European taxpayers’ money during Orbán’s 16 years in power. “High-ranking officials may be, and likely will be, held accountable,” he stated.
At the same time, the head of the anti-corruption agency did not specify whether this refers directly to Orbán himself or his closest associates.
Biro reported that his team had analyzed public procurement over the past few years and found signs of significant price inflation. According to the agency, a significant portion of government contracts was awarded to just three companies.
The agency estimates that over the past four years, the government has spent approximately €10 billion on these contracts. At the same time, potential corruption risks and overpricing of procurements could amount to €3.5 billion. “Public procurement tenders were manipulated,” Biro stated.
He also reported that while working on the investigations, he faced attempts at political pressure and bribery.
The statements came amid attempts by Hungary’s new Prime Minister Péter Magyar to convince Brussels to unfreeze billions of euros in European aid that had been blocked due to concerns about the state of the rule of law in the country.
The European Commission emphasized that it maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward fraud involving the EU budget. Officials there assured that they would cooperate with national authorities to recover any funds that may have been used illegally, according to Politico.
As a reminder, Magyar is ready to meet with Zelenskyy next week, but there is a condition.
The foreign ministers of Ukraine and Hungary, Andriy Sibiga and Anita Orbán, held their first in-person meeting on May 22. During talks in Helsingborg, the parties agreed to hold a second round of expert-level consultations next week to further discuss bilateral issues.
Earlier, the Hungarian government commented on the massive attack by Russian drones on Zakarpattia, during which the region’s critical infrastructure was struck. Budapest described the situation in the border region as extremely alarming and announced that it was preparing urgent countermeasures.
