The head of the Lawyers’ Circle, Lóránt Horváth, said on the programme Konkrétan with Egon Rónai that he is convinced the case of the Ukrainian gold convoy lies behind the resignation of chief prosecutor Gábor Bálint Nagy, and that the affair could eventually reach Orbán himself.
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According to Horváth, while the chief prosecutor cited moral reasons for his departure, financial and economic considerations may also have played a role. He said that after his resignation there follows a 30-day notice period, after which Gábor Bálint Nagy could continue working as a prosecutor on a net salary of 2.5 million forints, whereas a removal procedure would also put his prosecutorial status and related benefits at risk. The lawyer therefore said that removal proceedings should be initiated even during the notice period, since the chief prosecutor continues to exercise full powers during that time, the Hungarian News Agency wrote.
Speaking about the gold convoy case, Lóránt Horváth claimed that the investigation had omitted steps that would have been justified in a case of comparable gravity. In his view, organised offending appears to be taking shape, and investigators should either have worked their way up to the leadership level or gathered evidence from the bottom up. Instead, he said, the chain of responsibility was “cut in the middle” and János Hajdu, the former head of the Counter-Terrorism Centre, was placed at the centre of the case. Although he was charged, Horváth said that, given the gravity of the case, detention, house searches and the seizure of IT equipment could also have been warranted.
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The lawyer also claimed that in cases of this magnitude, investigating prosecutors brief the chief prosecutor on a daily basis, meaning he can know about every important investigative step and issue instructions as well. In his opinion, the new chief prosecutor, while reviewing the cases of the past year, may find numerous circumstances suggesting interference in the proceedings.
Lóránt Horváth said he believed the threads of the case lead to Orbán, and that if this is proved, it could have criminal significance. He said a political will had been tried to present as a criminal offence, but this had not fully materialised. In his view, no crime had in fact been committed, but rather an operation organised on a political order, for campaign purposes, of which the prime minister was most likely also aware. He added, however, that questioning or charging Orbán would require an incriminating statement or other evidence.
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They turned to the press deliberately
The programme also touched on János Hajdu’s testimony. Horváth said that, to his knowledge, Örs Farkas, who previously supervised the civilian national security services, had not yet been questioned, but that he could soon be heard as a suspect.
The lawyer also said that the Ukrainian bank had regained the seized assets, and that he himself was present at their handover. According to him, a few items remained in the money-laundering investigation, and their return had also been requested. He said that the expulsion measures imposed on those concerned had also been withdrawn, so they can once again move freely within the territory of the European Union.
Lóránt Horváth said ensuring publicity for the case had been a deliberate legal strategy, at the request of their client, because otherwise the gold convoy affair would, in his view, have been lost among the other proceedings.
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