Hungarian Foreign Ministry staff posed as journalists at Szijjártó's briefings
During the tenure of former Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, employees of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs were forced to attend his press conferences in place of media representatives to create the appearance of a packed room. Most independent media outlets were barred from attending such events.
The minister’s office sent letters in advance to the heads of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ departments, demanding that they ensure the presence of staff to fill 50–60 seats in the hall. Staff members were required to take their seats half an hour before the event began, sit in complete silence, and not leave their seats until the minister had exited. If there were not enough volunteers to attend the event, department heads would issue mandatory assignments.
There were virtually no media representatives at the press conferences, except for a journalist from the state news agency MTI. At the same time, staff from the Hungarian Foreign Ministry’s press office prompted him on exactly what questions to ask.
Source: 444.
Hungarian police will investigate a case involving the possible acceptance of a bribe by former Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó. If found guilty, he could face up to three years in prison.
Hungary has officially established the National Asset Recovery Agency, which will be responsible for tracking down and recovering public funds that were illegally misappropriated in previous years. The new agency is one of the key anti-corruption reforms of Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s government following his victory in the parliamentary elections.
