Jobbik slams year-end funding for Roma self-govt

Budapest, December 22 (MTI) – The opposition Jobbik party on Thursday criticised the government’s granting the National Roma Self-Government (ÖRO) 1.3 billion forints (EUR 4.2m) in special year-end funding, arguing that ÖRO had failed to account for 1.6 billion forints it had received for a training and employment programme.

The leaders of ÖRO deserve jail or to have their assets seized for their failure to account for money they had received for the Roma “Bridge” employment scheme, Jobbik spokesman Péter Jakab told a press conference in front of ÖRO’s Budapest headquarters.

Jakab said the end-of year funds granted to ÖRO sends a message to the organisation’s leaders that “they are allowed to do whatever they want”. He accused the government of using the funds in question as bribery to ensure that ÖRO can get out the Roma vote for Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in 2018, adding that “this form of election racism” was condemnable.

Photo: MTI

Source: MTI