Budapest Mayor: Metro fraud probe concerns pre-Fidesz period

Budapest (MTI) – The investigation by Europe’s anti-fraud office OLAF into the construction of Budapest’s fourth metro line almost exclusively concerns the period before Fidesz took over the local council, Budapest Mayor István Tarlós has said.

OLAF identified 80 issues in its probe and only one falls beyond the 2005-2009 period in which the Socialist-Liberal coalition controlled the city, Tarlós told commercial broadcaster ATV late on Tuesday.

Tarlós said he hoped the government would publish the OLAF report which he said was not in his possession. He insisted, however, that he had access to authentic information.

Hungary could be fined almost 77 billion forints (EUR 250m) for violations based on the OLAF report, government officials said earlier.

The number four metro line was inaugurated in 2014 after eight years of construction. The 7.3km line with ten stops cost 452.5 billion forints to build and was supported with 180 billion forints in European Union grants.

Source: MTI