Post Tagged with: "Corruption"

VS.hu logo.

Corruption and the Hungarian Central Bank–This is how Fidesz destroys Hungary’s independent media

At the heart of the Fidesz party’s ability to stay in power is to detect the vulnerabilities of people and organizations, and then exacerbate these, making Hungarians beholden to the regime. The chaos surrounding a major Hungarian news site called VS.hu and large state subsidies that traveled to the site’s publisher in a secretive and a roundabout way, is indicative […]

by · April 25, 2016 · Politics
Vivien Szalai on the right, pictured in this seflie with close friends Fanni Kaminsly (middle) and Cecília Rogán (left).

All in the family in Orbán’s Hungary

To be the director of a public institute, a high-ranking diplomat (ambassador or consul general), a management-level civil servant, a leader in public broadcasting or in much of Hungary’s private media, you not only frequently have to be clearly loyal to the ruling Fidesz party, but you often need a personal family connection to players in Viktor Orbán’s Prime Minister’s Office. There […]

by · February 9, 2016 · Politics
Ákos Hadházy. Photo: Lajos Soós.

Clear evidence shows that Hungary’s Fidesz abuses EU funds

The small Politics Can Be Different (LMP) green party has decided to air new, concrete information on corruption within Hungary’s governing Fidesz party each week, and the first such example of the misuse of funds was presented on Thursday, complemented by a secret tape recording, as evidence. Ákos Hadházy, a former municipal politician in the town of Szekszárd, left Fidesz […]

by · January 28, 2016 · Politics
Mapping corruption: the deeper the red, the greater the scope of corruption. Hungary is marked with "HU" and is orange in colour. Source: Transparency International.

Corruption in Hungary increases significantly, according to Transparency International

Hungary is now the fifth most corrupt country in the European Union, behind only Bulgaria, Greece, Italy and Romania, according to statistics released by Transparency International on Wednesday. The organization’s corruption perception index (CPI) measures trends within the public sectors of countries around the world. While the CPI for 2015 shows an improvement in both Greece and the United Kingdom, […]

by · January 27, 2016 · Politics
István Garancsi (right) with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at a Videoton soccer competition in Székesfehérvár.

A new year, a new example of systemic corruption in Hungary?

One of the defining features of Hungary’s Orbán regime is the systemic and wanton corruption. The new year brings yet another example of what appears to be brazen turpitude when it comes to how state funds are used on a massive scale to reward those close and loyal to the ruling Fidesz party. István Garancsi, a close friend of Prime […]

by · January 4, 2016 · Politics
György Matolcsy. Photo: AFP.

Hungary’s Fidesz: Corruption on a grand scale

When I read about Canada’s corruption scandals of the day — such as Senator Mike Duffy’s trial, where the disgraced politician is accused of claiming just under $100,000 in bogus expenses — I can’t help but think how incredibly petty all of this is, in comparison to the systemic and absolutely brazen corruption surrounding Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party. Today’s news […]

by · December 22, 2015 · Politics