Law enforcement investigators have rejected a complaint by opposition Democratic Coalition concerning Chinese ventilators, a party lawmaker said on Friday.
Zoltán Varga told an online press conference that DK had reported to the police suspected misappropriation after a press report showed that the government had transferred over 4 billion forints (EUR 10.1m) in an advance payment for 749 Chinese ventilators.
Varga, who is also the head of parliament’s public welfare committee, said that the ventilators would now be auctioned off “at a fraction of their price, for a few cents”. He added that the police had made the “ridiculous” claim that the auctioning of ventilators only showed that ministry was acting in a responsible manner when it came to handling public monies.
Photo: www.facebook.com/MenczerTamás
Socialists sue Audit Office
The Socialists are taking legal action against the State Audit Office (ÁSZ), saying the auditor nefariously ordered the party to pay a fine for allegedly accepting illegal campaign financing before the 2022 parliamentary elections, the opposition party said on Friday.
The auditor said in its report released on Feb 20 that parties in the opposition alliance, including the Socialists, were engaged in illegal campaign financing before the general election.
It accused the parties of illegally accepting more than 261 million forints (EUR 671,200) from abroad via the Hungary Belongs to Everybody (MMM) movement, and ordered them to pay the entire sum, shared equally, to the central budget within 15 days.
The Socialists accused the auditor of taking “political orders”, calling the report “a baseless document” which flouted the rule of law.
The party rejected the charge that it had accepted illegal financing, adding that it had published a full account of its campaign budget in the official Hungarian Gazette. It had also kept to campaign spending limits, it added.
The ruling Fidesz party was attempting to “immobilise the democratic opposition parties using ÁSZ with just three months left until the municipal and EP elections,” the party said in a statement.
Read also:
please make a donation here
Hot news
Top Hungary news: Festive trains, Wizz passengers stuck in Belgium, minimum wage increase, lego tram — 21 November, 2024
Hungary stands firm on Russian energy: FM Szijjártó defends sovereignty amid EU criticism
Wizz Air flight delayed for 18 hours: Passengers stuck in Brussels airport
Official: Minimum wage in Hungary to rise in 2025
Hop on a festive train to Vienna and Zagreb’s Christmas markets with MÁV!
Hungary launches EUR 500,000 humanitarian aid for persecuted Christians through Hungary Helps programme
3 Comments
It goes beyond crap Chinese ventilators. Fidesz is buying other substandard medical merchandise from China. It’s all for kickbacks. We got a request from family to bring thermometers to Hungary. They went to multiple pharmacies and they all only sell one thermometer which is made in China and does not work.
Another win for Fidezs party! (Sarcastic mode off) seriously, is there any audit about these kind of purchase? Do you really think those devices are that expensive? Smells like corruption, just like the overpriced spending on Russian gas
When COVID was rampant and Hungary lacked ventilators, the government did everything to obtain the needed equipment for patients. If the country would just left the patients die, the article would have stated that the government was negligent in not buying ventilators.
It would be nice if critics could stick to one side or other. They lose credibility when they play both sides.