‘Financial irregularities’ around Budapest’s iconic Chain Bridge? – UPDATED
Péter Kovács, a representative of Hungary’s ruling Fidesz in the Budapest Assembly, on Wednesday called on Gergely Karácsony, the city’s mayor, to resign over what he said were financial irregularities in connection with the reconstruction of capital’s iconic Chain Bridge.
Karácsony should resign becuase of the Chain Bridge?
Kovács, who is also the mayor of Budapest’s 16th district, said it was increasingly clear that “the reconstruction exceeded the budget by 5 billion forints [EUR 12.8m] and the contents of works completed reduced because money was being siphoned off.”
“It is time for you to resign from leading the city while you can do so with your head held high. You should show similar decency to that shown by the [former head of state],” he said, referring to the resignation of Katalin Novak.
According to media reports, at least 1.5 billion forints had been “funneled through a lawyer called Vig… then turned into campaign funds”, Kovács said.
Kovács said Karácsony’s support was failing, and even leftist parties were calling for an inquiry into the matter.
Former PM Gyurcsány has plan B
“Karácsony is finished”, Kovács said, insisting that Democratic Coalition leader Ferenc Gyurcsany was already “working on plan B”.
Responding to Kovács, Karácsony said the costs of the reconstruction had come to 8 billion forints less than planned. He noted that the works done on the bridge had indeed been changed in the course of the project’s two public procurement processes.
He said he did not know the “questionable businessman” mentioned, and the municipality had had no contract with him.
He said the websites “writing falsehoods” on the issue “are getting the timeline wrong”, as most contracts and money transfers between the businessman in question and A-Híd, the company tasked with the reconstruction, had been done before the municipality’s business dealings started with the latter.
Noting that the local elections were a mere 100 days away, Karácsony said Kovács’s proposal should be put in voters’ hands. “They will respond to Fidesz’s platform that lacks a true political message and looks down on Budapest residents and constantly tries to bleed the city dry… They will also respond to the politics we conducted, perhaps imperfectly but with a pure heart and good will.”
Budapest Assembly adopts strategy on preventing domestic violence and protecting witnesses
The Budapest Assembly on Wednesday voted unanimously to adopt a strategy on preventing domestic violence and protecting the victims of violence. The strategy proposed by deputy mayors Anett Bosz and Ambrus Kiss aims to prevent and curb domestic violence and to protect the victims of violence of any kind. It also takes a stand against discrimination against women and aims to promote equality between men and women by strengthening the position of women in society, the assembly said. The strategy will lay the ground for policy measures in the municipality.
Budapest Assembly to set up committee over events at Bicske children’s home
The Budapest Assembly decided on Wednesday to set up a case committee in connection with abuses uncovered at a children’s home in Bicske, in central Hungary, with the aim of restoring public trust in the institutions.
The assembly voted unanimously for the proposal submitted by Gergely Karácsony, the city’s mayor, and amended according to the proposals of Zsolt Wintermantel of Fidesz.
Karácsony said it was the Assembly’s task to “assign political responsibility and to adopt an action plan to restore public trust in state and local authority child protection services.” “The country was shocked in recent weeks by a presidential pardon granted to a person convicted for his assistance in attempts to cover up a paedophile crime,” Karácsony said. He noted that the children’s home involved in the case had been managed by the city of Budapest until 2013, and its director, the primary defendant in the case, was recognised with a municipal award two years later. He added that the award had been withdrawn after the director was convicted.
“It is important to clarify why the municipality and state agencies failed … and how the community could abandon the children pleading for help over the crime committed against them,” the mayor said. The committe, he said, would conduct an investigation to find out if the municipality had appropriately handled the first complaints in 2011.
The five-member committee will make its recommendations at the March assembly meeting. Wintermantel said in his amendment proposal that the director had been appointed to the post in 1990, and the municipality re-appointed him five times, and suggested that his activities should be scrutinised all through the years preceding 2011. He expressed Fidesz’s support to the committee and offered his personal involvement because “children and their protection” are more important than anything.
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