Here’s how one of the biggest news site was bought in Hungary: the relative of the bank’s president got a loan for the purchase

According to Magyar Nemzet Online, one of the members of the media group which has bought Origo has received money from the funds of the Growth Supporting Programme (GSP), from György Matolcsy’s National Bank of Hungary (MNB), revealed the companies’ registry court papers.

The sister company of New Wave Media Ltd., the New Wave Production Ltd. which has bought the online news site Origo, and also manages VS.hu, has received a 500 million HUF loan from the funds of the National Bank of Hungary (MNB). The company had access to the loan through the NHB Bank which is owned by György Matolcsy’s cousin, Tamás Szemerey, through another company.

This is interesting, because people have long been gossiping about the possible buyer, and many suspected that it was Tamás Szemerey.

Heti Válasz has started to unravel the mystery behind the purchasing of Origo in August, and this was the first time Szemerey’s name came up. The newspaper named New Wave Production Ltd. which operates VS.hu as a possibly buyer, but in the end New Wave’s another company, New Wave Media Ltd. purchased the website. According to the companies’ papers, both enterprises are owned by the Czech Bawaco Invest s.r.o., but are linked to Slovakia through its parent company.