Government abuse case: Billions transferred to Swiss bank account of Hungarian billionaire

A trial is under way in the abuse case of the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture. The main defendant in the case is a former senior government official, János Nagy, former Deputy State Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture. The prosecutor’s office accuses Nagy of having been involved in the payment of HUF 2.2 billion (EUR 5.8 million) by a back office of the ministry to two law firms, which, according to the prosecution, did not do any meaningful work. It has now emerged that the money was also transferred to a Swiss bank account linked to a well-known Hungarian billionaire businessman.

Abuse case of the Ministry of Agriculture

The name of a well-known Hungarian billionaire businessman and a Swiss bank account linked to him have also come to light in the abuse case of the Ministry of Agriculture, which is being heard at the Székesfehérvár Court of Justice, Direkt36 reports. The main accused in the case, János Nagy, former Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, is accused by the prosecution of helping a back office of the Ministry to pay HUF 2.2 billion to two law firms. These firms, according to the prosecution, did not do any meaningful work to deserve the money.

According to the portal, on a trial day in September, important details emerged about what might have happened to the money. The judge in the criminal case presented bank documents, although several defendants’ lawyers tried to prevent this.

The newest findings of the trial

It turned out that the law firms receiving the money–the heads of which were also accused alongside János Nagy–had transferred substantial sums of money to a Swiss bank account through a Budapest company. This account was owned by an offshore company in Panama, which, according to the documents presented by the judge, was linked to a Hungarian billionaire businessman, Kristóf Nobilis. The emergence of Nobilis in the case is interesting because one of his sons, Márton Nobilis, was the minister’s chief of staff at the time of the money transfers and is currently a state secretary in the same ministry.

The case is also under investigation for money laundering, but the prosecutor’s office did not say who was questioned.

Main defendant disagrees

It is important to note that János Nagy’s version is completely different. The former Deputy State Secretary gave a detailed testimony in court in May. He claimed that, in fact, the decisions on which he is accused of criminality were taken at higher levels, and that the minister István Nagy decided on the fees for law firms. The minister will be heard by the court in 2024.

The former official said in court:

“I was a deputy secretary of state, and anyone who has seen a ministry up close does not assume that a deputy secretary of state is making up billion-forint contracts.”

János Nagy is also facing a criminal case for bribery, which was heard last week.

Read also:

• Here is how many years you have to work to afford a flat in Hungary
• Hungary bids to host the Champions League final