Opposition DK: Residency bond system put Hungary, EU security at risk

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his government put the security of Hungarians and other EU citizens at risk by selling residency bonds to foreigners without appropriate vetting, the deputy leader of leftist opposition Democratic Coalition (DL) said on Wednesday.

The government has granted citizenships and passports without thorough examination to 20,000 people from China, Russia, some Arab countries and other nations, Ágnes Vadai told a press conference. Criminals and terrorists have also gained citizenship this way, and Hungary’s counter-terrorism force TEK has since arrested some of them, she said.

The EU cannot watch idly as the “loudly anti-migrant” Hungarian government secretly lets tens of thousands of people into the EU, Vadai said.

It is “shameful” that the Hungarian government risks the security of EU citizens while styling itself as Europe’s saviour, she said.