Government office starts procedure to reveal irregularities in metro 4 construction

Makó (MTI) – The Prime Minister’s Office has launched a procedure to reveal irregularities suspected in the construction of the city’s fourth metro line, the government office chief said on Tuesday.

János Lázár told the press after a public forum in Makó in southern Hungary that it was the most serious corruption case of the past 27 years. Based on a report by Europe’s anti-fraud office OLAF some 166 billion forints (EUR 535m) worth of contracts were affected by fraud in the 430 billion forints investment project. Of the 166 billion forints, the European Union demands that 59 billion forints, which the community had contributed to the project, must be repaid by Hungary, Lázár said

The government must identify how to reclaim the difference in the affected contracts, most of which were financed by Hungary and therefore constituted taxpayers’ money, he added.

OLAF protects the money of EU taxpayers and the government must protect Hungarian taxpayers’ money, Lázár said.

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If the Hungarian investigation reveals similar irregularities as those shown in OLAF’s report, then the government is stipulated by the budget law to reclaim the support granted for the investment, he added.

Photo: Daily News Hungary

Source: MTI