Spanish far-right party Vox conceals loan from Lőrinc Mészáros’ bank

The Spanish far-right party Vox has taken out a loan amounting to €9.2 million, approximately HUF 3.6 billion, from a bank affiliated with the Hungarian government.

Vox conceals its Hungarian creditor

MBH Bank, owned by Lőrinc Mészáros, a close associate of Viktor Orbán, supported Vox’s 2023 election campaigns, according to a report by El País.

In violation of Spanish party financing laws, Vox failed to disclose the source of the €9.2 million loan in its financial reports. The party borrowed the sum in two instalments last year: €2.6 million for the municipal elections and €6.5 million for the general elections.

Party leader Santiago Abascal explained that the Spanish conservative political party had not named the creditor because the institution wished to avoid being demonised for its involvement.

In mid-September, El País reported, based on sources close to the party, that the funds for Vox’s campaign could have originated from a Hungarian bank with ties to the government. Pepa Millán, the party’s spokesperson, has since confirmed that the lender was indeed a Hungarian bank, as no Spanish financial institution was willing to provide the loan. However, she denied any knowledge of MBH’s connections to Orbán.

Millán also stated that the loan has been fully repaid.

Le Pen also received a loan

In 2022, Marine Le Pen received a €10.6 million loan from MKB, another bank owned by Mészáros, for her presidential campaign. MKB has since merged into the large Magyar Bankholding group, which also lent to Vox. Like Vox, Le Pen claimed that no French banks were willing to provide financial support.

Le Pen had previously borrowed from a Russian bank in 2014, citing similar reasons to Millán for seeking foreign funding.

As we previously reported, Spain blocks Hungarian Talgo train factory deal over Orbán’s Russia ties.

Patriots for Europe (PfE) group

Vox, once a member of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) party, saw its MEPs among the first to join Viktor Orbán’s newly formed *Patriots for Europe* (PfE) group over the summer. Within a few weeks, PfE became the third-largest political faction in the European Parliament. Further details can be found HERE.