The leftist opposition to turn to OLAF over railway upgrade project

Budapest, August 26 (MTI) – The leftist opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) will turn to the EU’s anti-fraud office OLAF suspecting corruption in connection with the EU-funded upgrade project of the Budapest-Esztergom railway line, the party’s spokesman said on Wednesday.

The project, getting 85 percent funding from the EU, was launched in 2012 to upgrade the 43-kilometre section in ten months with an originally planned budget of 2.4 billion forints, Zsolt Gréczy told a press conference.

The project has suffered several years of delay and, ib the meantime, its cost has jumped twenty-fold to 44 billion forints (EUR 140m), Gréczy said, noting that the upgrade has not been fully completed.

DK also claims that Vasútépitő Ltd, a member of the consortium carrying out the upgrade, was previously owned by the father of Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó.

“DK suspects corruption surrounding the project which may have allowed channeling public monies and EU funds into private pockets,” Gréczy said, and demanded explanation from the government.

Photo: MTI

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters