Vona asks Orban: Why have people in your circle become so unbelievably wealthy in recent years?

Budapest, December 15 (MTI) – No corruption of any kind is tolerated, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told parliament on Tuesday in response to a question by radical nationalist Jobbik leader Gabor Vona.

Orban said it was inadvisable for Hungarian politicians or parliament to assume the job of the prosecutor’s office and the police.

“I refuse to make Hungary into Romania”, he said, adding that he would reject any extraordinary procedures to hand over the power of state authorities in law enforcement to parliamentary committees.

Vona had suggested two committees should be set up, one to investigate Jobbik’s alleged Russian links and another to examine how people linked to the ruling Fidesz party have become so rich.

“Why have people in your circle become so unbelievably wealthy in recent years,” Vona asked the prime minister, referring to Arpad Habony, an informal advisor, Lorinc Meszaros, a businessman in Orban’s village, and Andrew Vajna, the government’s film industry commissioner.

Orban said he did not tolerate corruption of any kind in the past and would not tolerate it in the future, either. The country’s interests are kept in view when any government decision is made, he insisted.

He said he had had looked through publicly available lists showing Hungary’s richest people and no Fidesz supporters were in the top 10, despite the party having been in government for ten years.

“In light of this, your accusations are ridiculous and I propose we talk about this issue seriously when at least five of the top 10 are Fidesz supporters. I’m afraid that will not happen tomorrow,” Orban said.

He insisted that Jobbik was full of criminals. He called on Jobbik to reveal who their benefactors are.

Vona dismissed the accusation that Jobbik had received financing from Russia. Independence is one of the most important basic values for Jobbik, he added.

In response to a question by opposition Socialist lawmaker Zoltan Gogos about farmland auctions, Orban said the auctions are not like a lottery and nobody had won anything from the government. He congratulated to state secretary Laszlo L Simon’s wife for winning an auction.

Gogos also asked Orban if the Papa meat factory which has undergone liquidation would receive any help. Orban said people can rely on government help, including people in Papa.

Socialist lawmaker Tamas Harangozo asked Orban whether an amendment to allow politicians’ relatives to participate in public procurements had been approved under his specific instructions.

Orban responded by asking why regulations under the Socialist government were not as strict as Haramgozo demands now. When Ferenc Gyurcsany was the prime minister, his wife was a heading a development office that was overseeing European Union spending and the former Socialist prime minister’s company was able to purchase electricity cheaper than others in 2007-2008 while the prices were doubled, he added. He said Harangozo used to get 3 million forints monthly “party salary” from a state-owned company as the Paks nuclear power station’s board member.

Jobbik lawmaker Adam Mirkoczki said Roma politics were not free from corruption and he queried the role of Florian Farkas, appointed by Orban as a government commissioner, and asked Orban how long he would tolerate the current state of affairs.

Orban said the Roma minority council has been characterised by internal conflicts for years but rejected claims that the Roma integration programme had failed. Any violation of the law committed in the Roma local council is no reason to condemn everyone involved, he added.

Photo: MTI

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters