Looks like the Samsung battery plant’s management tried to make the Hungarian government halt investigations into poisoning workers

Newly revealed documents suggest that senior managers at Samsung SDI’s battery plant in Göd discussed possible ways to limit or halt the work of Hungarian investigative outlet Átlátszó, following a series of reports exposing safety concerns at the facility.

The Göd Samsung plant’s management contemplated curbing investigative journalists

According to information published by Telex, discussions took place within the South Korean-owned company’s leadership in March 2024, after Átlátszó began regularly requesting official inspection records related to the factory. These documents indicated repeated regulatory breaches, including cases in which workers were allegedly exposed to hazardous substances.

Átlátszó journalist Zsuzsa Bodnár had been seeking the inspection reports since 2022, when irregularities at the plant first surfaced. However, the documents were often released only after delays and sometimes in partially redacted form. The most serious findings, including alleged poisoning incidents from 2022 and 2023, were eventually reported in February 2024.

As we recently reported, Telex wrote that Samsung poisoned its Göd plant workers for years with the Orbán cabinet’s help.

They were surprised information leaked out

Sources cited by Telex say Samsung managers were “shocked” that the outlet obtained and published internal and regulatory material. A leaked document summarising topics discussed at a management meeting on 27 March 2024 reportedly included an item titled: “Government target to stop or restrict Átlátszó by the finish of the election campaign.”

The document also mentioned ongoing scrutiny of the outlet’s foreign funding and suggested that a negative decision by authorities could force it to cease operations. While the text referred to Hungary’s Integrity Authority, sources later indicated this was likely a translation error and that the discussion actually concerned the Sovereignty Protection Office, a government body established to investigate alleged foreign influence.

Investigation of Átlátszó started back in 2024

Three months after the meeting, in June 2024, the Sovereignty Protection Office did indeed launch an investigation into Átlátszó. During the inquiry, the office requested extensive information, reportedly including bank records connected to private individuals. The outlet refused to cooperate and later filed a lawsuit challenging the investigation, Népszava reported.

The office eventually concluded that Átlátszó, through foreign funding, engaged in activities that could influence decision-making processes and allegedly caused “serious political, economic and social harm” to Hungary. Officials denied any connection between Samsung and the probe, responding briefly to press questions and rejecting claims of corporate involvement.

Átlátszó editor-in-chief Tamás Bodoky said the organisation initially had no reason to suspect a link between the company and the investigation. However, he noted that when the probe expanded in September 2024 to include a local civic association in Göd, questions from authorities appeared to focus specifically on the outlet’s reporting about Samsung.

Why is it very important now?

The controversy comes amid broader scrutiny of working conditions at the Göd plant. A recent Telex investigation alleged that employees were exposed to toxic, potentially carcinogenic substances, with one internal report reportedly finding exposure levels hundreds of times above permitted limits. Government officials and local authorities have disputed these claims, insisting that the factory operates safely.