Subscribe to our social channels to get the latest news about Hungary!
Armed Hungarian secret service agents take profitable foreign and Hungarian firms by force?
Change language:
The European Union monitors how Hungary spends the allocations because of concerns about corruption and the rule of law. Therefore, the parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control paid an eighth visit to Hungary and revealed some shocking interviews with managers active in Hungary. They told the committee how armed Hungarian secret service agents appeared at their companies in an attempt to buy it. If they refuse to sell, all hell breaks loose.
Monika Hohlmeier, Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control, revealed information about that scheme in a press conference in Budapest. The EPP MEP said that what the managers concerned in such blackmailing issues told her reminded her of the Communist era. Among the most crucial problems, she mentioned the discrimination of some companies, law modifications made overnight and the “intimidating secret service investigations” against some companies. Their purpose is to “pave the way to a possible acquisition”. German ARD’s Tagesschau wrote more details about the delegation’s experiences in this regard on its website.
Managers of German, Austrian and French companies in Hungary revealed to the EP representatives how they are being pressured in Hungary to pass company shares to government-close oligarchs. They did not want to go public with that information because they were afraid of reprisal. Some managers told the committee how armed secret service agents had made a purchase offer. Doing so is a common practice in Hungary, provided you have a profitable company, they added.
Pressure and secret service agents everywhere
“Someone regularly shows up and asks if they could buy the company cheaply. If you reply that you want to continue operating here and are even thinking about expansion, more harassment follows. For example, they visit your family”, said the CSU (Christian Social Union) MEP.
It’s a government mafia system shaking down businesses with “an offer you can’t refuse.” Many Hungarian business owners will not expand their companies to keep them off the target radar of the government/oligarch mafia. They keep them small but may own several small companies rather than one large one. The net effect is a suppression of economic expansion and efficiency of size and a generally repressive business climate in Hungary. In Mexico the cartels shake down business owners and they respond in a similar fashion refusing to expand in order to remain a smaller target. When the oligarchs take control of a sector such as construction you have reduced competition and higher prices. This ties into the fact that Hungary now has the highest inflation rate in Europe.
Now I heard everything. Guess what, I do not believe a word. This newspaper weekly publishes names of businesses that closed. It would be more economical to reopen a business, some that have an established clientele, than blackmailing and threatening businesses. Furthermore, there is no proof. People who are manipulated by the EU really do make up the best tales. Hungary should stop allowing all supposed investigative groups into the country which only results in lies.
It would also be nice if one would not have to scroll through a lot of pictures, representing stories one is not interested in.
Maria Von Theresa – Look up Duna Drava Cement. Fidesz is a mafia government and you are one of its’ on-line propagandists.
https://www.spiegel.de/international/business/mafia-methods-viktor-orban-ups-the-pressure-on-german-companies-to-leave-hungary-a-cf38f4d2-1576-4f55-896a-b65f19542f43
That`s it, Larry!
Nothing new, nothing surprising, in fact I would be surprised if this was NOT going on.
Absolutely Larry. Fidesz is a mafia government. Only the gullible believe otherwise.