The route of corruption money taken from the renovation of the Chain Bridge, which was overpriced by billions, seems more and more certain, reports the Mandiner. The portal adds: it is suspected that part of the public money intended for the investment, in the form of cash, may have ended up in the pockets of City Hall and leading left-wing politicians through several intermediaries. Today, the majority of the left-wing mayors who came to the meeting of the Budapest municipality fled from the questions about the invoice factory in the capital.
On Tuesday, Gyula Budai, a member of the Fidesz parliament, announced that the police had ordered an investigation into the case of the invoice factory in the capital. He made the complaint after he came into possession of a letter according to which almost one and a half billion forints from the renovation of the Chain Bridge ended up in the City Hall through intermediaries. He added:
“From now on, neither Gergely Karácsony, nor the owner of Árgus Security, nor the owner of the A-híd will have to answer my questions, but the questions of the authority.”
According to Gyula Budai, Vig Mórék could have gone to the office of a security company, Árgus Security, to settle accounts. There is even a family relationship between the heads of the two companies. That is, essentially the hundreds of millions earmarked for bridge renovation could migrate within the family.
Gyula Budai: Karácsony should respond to the renovation case
According to Fidesz’s Gyula Budai, Mayor Gergely Karácsony should respond to the matter related to the renovation of the Chain Bridge.
Analyst: The biggest corruption scandal of the past decades is unfolding in the case of the invoice factory in Budapest
The Karácsonys took out a loan at the expense of the capital, and then transferred almost one and a half billion forints from it to private accounts.
The case of the Budapest invoice factory erupted after last November NAV investigators arrested Mór Vig, one of the key figures in the case, and conducted a house search at A-híd Zrt., which is renovating Chain Bridge. Based on the partial report of the Government Audit Office, it was revealed last week that A-Híd transferred a total of more than one and a half billion forints to Vig Mór’s company, which the former lawyer sent to his escrow account and to his own private account. From there, he also borrowed HUF 900 million in cash. Another lawyer also borrowed half a billion forints, also in cash.
The National Investigation Agency has now ordered an investigation into the renovation of the Chain Bridge due to suspicion of official bribery.
The M1 reporter asked the left-wing mayors who came to the capital assembly about the invoice factory in the capital, but they often avoided answering.
“This is a typical form of corruption crimes” – said Dániel Deák on the M1. The XXI. The leading analyst of Század Intézet drew attention to the fact that although Gergely Karácsony and the left-wing city administration with him have been denying the accusations since the outbreak of the scandal of the capital’s invoice factory, the evidence now shows that the denial may be more likely a conscious lie.
Evidence and various information are coming to light, we are constantly seeing the connections. At first, he claimed that the renovation and the withdrawal of the money did not happen at the same time, then it turned out that they did. So a lot of information has come to light that refutes Gergely Karácsony’s various claims.
Mandiner: Long years in prison can await the left-wing beneficiaries of the bridging money scandal
If an investigation is initiated based on Gyula Budai’s complaint, it may be revealed whether a left-wing politician received money from the Lánchíd investment.
“The path of corruption money seems to be very simple” – this was already written by Mandiner on the basis of the letter sent to Gyula Budai, which also reached the police, and on the basis of which the investigation was also ordered. According to the newspaper – if the insider’s letter writer’s claims are true – the money “saved” from the Lánchíd investment could have returned to the ownership of A-Híd Zrt., which carried out it, from where the sums could have ended up in the Budapest City Hall.
Featured image: Gergely Karácsony at the restoration of the renewed stone lion of the Lánchíd, which is under renovation, on the Buda side of the bridge on October 18, 2022. (Photo: MTI)
