Fiction or reality? Central bank governor’s statement on external threat to Hungary’s sovereignty

Budapest, February 22 (MTI) – The opposition Socialist Party has called for an investigative committee to be set up to establish the facts concerning a statement by the central bank governor that Hungary’s national sovereignty had been threatened by a NATO member state in 2014.

Attila Mesterházy, chairman of parliament’s budget committee, said on Wednesday that governor of the National Bank of Hungary György Matolcsy’s accusation during a briefing to lawmakers that a third country had attempted to undermine the government with a view to ousting it deserved scrutiny.

He added that it was clear from the context of Matolcsy’s briefing that he meant the United States.

Mesterházy said that either Matolcsy had “talked a lot of nonsense” or he had brought up a grave problem which should be investigated. He added that if Matolcsy had not spoken the truth, then he should resign. If he had done so, then the issue arises as to why he had not briefed lawmakers on the issue beforehand, he said.

Matolcsy told lawmakers on Wednesday that the demise of several Hungarian stockbroking firms had been part of a plot to bring down the government.

Presenting the NBH’s 2015 report, Matolcsy said it appeared that revelations of fraud at the stockbroking firms in question had been “scripted by the secret service or the military” with the aim of starting a run on Hungarian banks. “This fits with activity by the Budapest embassy of a NATO member aiming to bringing down the government…”

Hungary’s market watchdog, which operates as part of the central bank, had been monitoring the stockbroking firms in question, Matolcsy said, adding that whether the fraud had been revealed in January-March or in May was not a matter of indifference.

Photo: MTI

Source: MTI