The prosecution yesterday questioned János Hajdu, the former head of Hungary’s Counter Terrorism Centre (TEK), on suspicion of unlawfully detaining seven Ukrainian cash couriers in handcuffs for nearly nine hours. Viktor Orbán swiftly came to his defence, denouncing the case as a Tisza-led political witch-hunt, and promptly appointed Hajdu as Fidesz’s security director.
Orbán, Hajdu, Demeter responsible
Yet the story does not end there. Investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi has reported that, following the election, Orbán, Hajdu and Tamás Demeter, former deputy head of Hungary’s National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV), held a clandestine meeting at the Andrássy Avenue villa of Lőrinc Mészáros.
Writing on his Substack, Panyi said the three men may have met in early June at the Budapest residence of Mészáros, widely regarded as Hungary’s richest man.
Earlier, Vilmos Bábel reported in 444 on 25 June that, according to a prosecution document dated 9 June, the investigation into the so-called Ukrainian gold convoy must establish—on the basis of subordinate testimonies—whether it was indeed Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, TEK director-general János Hajdu, and NAV’s then deputy chief for criminal and law enforcement affairs, Tamás Demeter, who issued the orders, and therefore bear responsibility for the operation.
Hajdu has since been questioned on suspicion of unlawful detention. According to a statement released yesterday, he kept the seven Ukrainian couriers handcuffed for nearly nine hours, despite NAV signalling that there was no justification for doing so. The men were reportedly held blindfolded and in restraints throughout, in what authorities say constituted a grave violation of their human dignity.
Will Hajdu take the fall in Orbán’s stead?
According to Panyi, Hajdu did not act alone but remained in constant telephone contact with “someone in the upper echelons of political leadership”, from whom he received instructions. The journalist suggests the moment may come when Hajdu must either assume sole responsibility or indicate that he was not the ultimate decision-maker.
Whether related or not, Orbán, Hajdu and Demeter were all present at Mészáros’s Andrássy Avenue villa on 1 June, where they were reportedly filmed by political activist Bence Szabó.
Here’s when Orbán leaves the villa:
Hajdu has since been released, with prosecutors arguing there is no risk of collusion or evidence tampering. Panyi, however, contends the opposite.
Dr Lóránt Horváth, legal representative of Ukraine’s Oschadbank, described the decision to allow Hajdu to remain at liberty as irrational, arguing that it prevents the case from reaching higher levels where Orbán’s potential criminal liability might be examined. “Under Chief Prosecutor Gábor Bálint Nagy—appointed by the former Fidesz two-thirds majority—the truth will never come to light,” Horváth wrote.
Have you read this one? Former PM Orbán’s anti-terrorism force chief suspect in Ukrainian ‘gold convoy’ case
Orbán appoints Hajdu Fidesz security chief
Opposition Fidesz leader Orbán has appointed Hajdu, the former chief of anti-terrorism force TEK, his party’s security director, effective of Tuesday. According to a Fidesz statement sent to MTI, Hajdu has “decades of experience” and used to work with Fidesz as security director “for years before 2010″. Prime Minister Péter Magyar dismissed Hajdu from his position with TEK on May 27. On Monday, Hajdu was questioned by the office of prosecutor as a suspect in the “Ukrainian gold convoy” scandal.
Yesterday, Orbán spoke of a political showdown orchestrated by the new Prime Minister and his Tisza Party against Hajdu, a general who served his country with honour. He wrote that what Hajdú did in the case of the Ukrainian gold convoy deserved a decoration rather than persecution. He said Hajdú is a role model for all those who love their country.
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