Budget Committee to Meet on Monday over Cbank Spending

(MTI) – Sandor Burany, Socialist head of parliament’s budget committee, has called a meeting of the body for next Monday to hear Gyorgy Matolcsy, governor of the National Bank, as well as members of the supervisory board in connection with recent purchases by the central bank.

Burany told MTI on Tuesday that apart from his Socialist Party, the opposition LMP and E-PM parties have also urged a hearing with the National Bank leaders.

The deputy head of the committee, however, said in a statement that Burany had convened the body illegally and without prior consultations. Lajos Szucs, a ruling Fidesz delegate, insisted that such matters are overviewed by the economic committee and suggested that the head of the central bank is not responsible to the budget committee.

The National Bank’s operations are supervised by the State Audit Office, which reports to the economic committee, therefore the budget committee does not have the authority to investigate the matter or hear members of the supervisory board, Szucs argued. Fidesz-delegated members of the budget committee will “not assist in that unlawful act”, he said, and called on other invitees to Monday’s hearing to follow suit.