“The Russian Government Wants To See Me Dead” – says the source of the Panama Papers

Pethő András 2022.07.22.

The revelations about offshore firms brought to light by the source behind the Panama Papers toppled government leaders and spawned thousands of investigations. Now for the first time the source gave an interview.

How state funds help the miracle business of a top minister’s former wife

Szőke Dániel 2022.07.22.

We have revealed where the money comes from for Cecília Rogán-Gaál’s tabloid’s publishing house

Western allies puzzled by Hungary’s mild reaction to Russian hacking

Panyi Szabolcs 2022.07.14.

Russia’s hacking of the Hungarian foreign ministry is a concern for the EU, and the U.S. has already warned Hungary and other allies about the dangers of Russian cyberattacks. The Orbán government could in principle ask for EU help to tackle the problem, but there is no sign so far that it will do so.

“Az erőszak garantálja a sikert” – Így tarolta le a fél világot az Uber

Wirth Zsuzsanna 2022.07.11.

124 ezer belső irat szivárgott ki az Uber amerikai techóriástól, az International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) nevű nemzetközi újságíró szervezet és 180 újságíró dolgozta fel őket. Az együttműködés egyedüli magyar tagja a Direkt36 volt. Az iratok az Uber ellentmondásos belső működésébe és agresszív lobbizási gyakorlatába nyújtanak betekintést.

Leaked files of Uber reveal secret lobbying operations in Hungary

Wirth Zsuzsanna, Pethő András 2022.07.11.

As part of an international investigative project, Direkt36 has gained access to the lobbying files of Uber, the world’s most well-known ride-sharing company. These documents revealed that the US company’s representatives had access to Hungarian ministers and other decision-makers. In the end, however, the Orbán government turned out to be more afraid of upsetting Hungarian taxi drivers, and this was partly the reason why Uber was defeated, and eventually left Hungary.

Sinking ground on the Paks II nuclear power plant site could further delay the project

Szabó András 2022.06.22.

The Hungarian authority assessing the plans of Russian Rosatom will have to make a decision whether safe construction above a fault line which is vulnerable to earthquakes is possible.

Orbán government keeps silent about Russian residency bond owners – even as the EU prepares to end the practice

Matyasovszki Fanni, Szőke Dániel 2022.06.14.

Fidesz MEPs did not vote for the revision of the visas already issued. Several beneficiaries of Putin’s regime have previously obtained Hungarian papers.

Cables show how Orbán’s diplomats gather information on journalists

Panyi Szabolcs 2022.06.09.

The information contained in these documents was gathered by diplomats of the Orbán government from social media profiles of journalists or online reports, as well as by inquiring foreign government officials.

Inside the opposition’s crushing defeat against Viktor Orbán

Szabó András, Panyi Szabolcs, Matyasovszki Fanni, Szőke Dániel, Pethő András 2022.05.17.

The chaos was even bigger inside the campaign than it looked from the outside. Direkt36 has investigated how the opposition, which led in the polls last fall, lost against Viktor Orbán’s governing party yet again.

A tíz legmeghökkentőbb dolog, ami az ellenzéki kampányban történt

Pethő András 2022.05.17.

Számos új részletet tártunk fel az ellenzéki választási kampányról. Kigyűjtöttük a legérdekesebbeket.

The cost of the MNB’s new prestige investment, given to a friend of Matolcsy’s son, has been very high

Szőke Dániel 2022.04.29.

The bank headed by György Matolcsy has spent tens of billions of public money on the renovation of the Postal Palace without knowing much about the background of the project. According to an internal report, the work was beautiful, but “it did not meet the criteria of austerity”.

The attorney became a Pegasus target when one of Hungary’s most notorious murder cases took a turn

Panyi Szabolcs, Matyasovszki Fanni 2022.03.31.

Ilona Patócs is not the first lawyer to be targeted, despite the fact that protecting client communication is an essential part of her job, Direkt36 has learned. Nor is she the only target to have been involved in a Portik case.

Putin’s hackers gained full access to Hungary’s foreign ministry networks, the Orbán government has been unable to stop them

Panyi Szabolcs 2022.03.29.

Russian state actors hacked into the Hungarian Foreign Ministry’s computer network compromising internal correspondence and even a secure network that transmits classified information. The recurring cyberattacks over the past decade were kept quiet by the Orbán government, and have not been successfully countered. With the help of internal documents and background interviews, Direkt36 exposes Russian cyber espionage against Hungary’s MFA.

Former Hungarian ambassador to China was targeted with Pegasus – shortly before becoming senior advisor to Orbán

Panyi Szabolcs, Matyasovszki Fanni 2022.03.22.

Cecília Szilas is not the first high-ranking Hungarian official who was targeted with the Pegasus spyware. Her phone was added to the list during her stint at a conflict-ridden company called Dunaferr, shortly before becoming the Prime Minister’s senior advisor on China.

Inside Viktor Orbán’s war for Index, Hungary’s most influential news website

Pethő András 2022.03.18.

Index had long been a primary target for Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s media crackdown. The final assault came in the disguise of a business maneuver and now the site is part of the government’s powerful media machinery.

Inside Orbán’s Fidesz party preparing for Hungary’s parliamentary election

Szabó András 2022.03.11.

For some time now, all government proposals land on PM Orbán’s desk with green, yellow, or red post-its. People with inside knowledge about the election strategy of Fidesz described the ruling party’s campaign strategy for the 2022 parliamentary elections and its conscious use of social media.

“Please, don’t report about this at all! Thanks!” – How the Hungarian state news agency censors politically unpleasant news

Wirth Zsuzsanna 2022.03.07.

Documents obtained by Direkt36 show how the government dictates the news at Hungarian state news agency MTI. Self-censorship also plays a crucial role in shaping the content of MTI.

Leaked documents show how Orbán’s circle dictates the news at Hungary’s state news agency

Wirth Zsuzsanna 2022.03.04.

According to internal letters obtained by Direkt36, one of Viktor Orbán’s closest colleagues once dictated a piece of news to the Hungarian Telegraph Office. There is also a separate instruction that not only the ministry’s announcements must be published practically verbatim, but also the statements of Lőrinc Mészáros’s group of companies.

Spies, business deals and criminals. How Orbán favors Russian interests instead of Western ones

Panyi Szabolcs, Szabó András 2022.03.01.

In the past 12 years, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government has gotten into a situation many times, when they had to decide between the interests of Western allies, or Russia. Direkt36 has revealed many cases, where, in the end, the government favored Vladimir Putin and his circles. It occurred, for example, that they drove a Hungarian company out of business, just to be able to make space for a Russian firm.

A brand new Porsche, a special Ferrari, and billionaire businesses show the rise of Matolcsy’s circle

Szőke Dániel 2022.02.22.

Direkt36 presents the connection between businessman Ádám Matolcsy, the son of the issue-bank’s director, and the entrepreneur Bálint Fülöp Somlai, who also controls billionaire state tenders with exclusive photos. We also show the story of their enrichment and how their luxurious lifestyle is being helped by state businesses.