A lawyer with ties to Viktor Orbán and his closest business ally bought an agricultural company of Lajos Simicska, who fought a long and unsuccessful campaign against Orbán before this year’s parliamentary election.
Continue readingPeople close to Viktor Orbán began to take over his fallen enemy’s empire
Russia and Hungary seemed to clash over the Skripal poisoning. In the background, it was a different story
The expulsions of diplomats after the Skripal poisoning were carefully arranged in a way not to endanger the special relationship between Moscow and Budapest. Documents and interviews show that both countries made efforts not to cause real damage to one another.
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People close to Viktor Orbán’s top advisor were involved in controversial golden visa program, confidential documents show
Documents obtained by Direkt36 prove that a Georgian-Israeli businessman close to Árpád Habony was involved in the operations of VolDan, the company that sold Hungarian residency bonds in Russia.
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A Hungarian company came under Russian influence. Now it could receive another contract in Hungary’s nuclear project
The car rental company that is likely to be contracted by Rosatom is under the influence of a Russian bank. One of the company’s owners previously held high in a gas trading company with ties to Russia.
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The business partner of Lorinc Meszaros is bidding for two valueable Paks 2 tenders
This is the first time that government-close business circles have appeared as bidders in Paks2-related tenders.
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Members of Putin’s state machine received Hungarian residence permits through controversial Golden Visa program
A joint investigation of Direkt36, 444 and Novaya Gazeta about Russian parliamentary members, executives of state-owned companies, the family of the chief of Russian foreign intelligence service and a businessman reportedly linked to organised crime.
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Viktor Orban’s government has become an enthusiastic partner in Russia’s financial expansion
Vladimir Putin resurrected the International Investment Bank a few years ago to increase Russia’s influence in Central and Eastern Europe. Hungary has become one of the most active investors of the financial institution.
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It only took ten days for the Syrian dictator’s moneyman to get Hungarian residence permit
Hungarian authorities raised no objections against granting Atiya Khoury a Hungarian residence permit when he had already been on the US sanction list for supporting Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
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Heavy traffic at the stone mine of Viktor Orbán’s father reveals new details of the mysterious business operation
Many trucks carrying products of the mine belong to a company that has been winning lucrative state construction contracts in recent years.
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Company of Orbán’s son-in-law moved into a luxury villa owned by influential businessmen
The move is another sign of the increasingly close relationship between the prime minister’s family and the country’s business elite.
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Opposition politician’s businesses are thriving after he teamed up with businessmen close to Viktor Orban’s government
The company group of Gergo Czegledy who is influential within Budapest circles and his partners with links to the government won over the past years state tenders in the value of several billions of forints.
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Companies formerly involved in Hungary’s Golden Visa program now advertise new visa business in Vietnam
Advertisements about Hungarian residency through real estate investment first appeared in China, now in Vietnam. This is not a state-run program, but it is partly organised by companies that were also involved in the government’s controversial residency bond program.
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MP files criminal complaint over Hungarian residence permit of the Syrian dictator’s moneyman
The MP was informed earlier that Hungarian authorities found no risk during Atiya Khoury’s security screening.
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Orbán’s son-in-law extends his influence over major real estate company
István Tiborcz now owns more than 75 percent of the company, which has a high-value real estate portfolio, according to company records reviewed by Direkt36.
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Panama Papers expose new details in major corruption case
The so-called Eclipse scandal was one of the biggest corruption cases of the last two decades in Hungary. The new Panama Papers now reveal that a businessman with extensive connections to the government signed a consultancy contract with Eclipse through an offshore company.
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New Panama Papers Inquiry Reveals Details of Hungary’s Golden Visa Program
A businessman involved in the controversial Hungarian residence program told Mossack Fonseca that he believes the Chinese government is behind one of the companies running the scheme.
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A well-connected lawyer wins contract in Hungary’s gigantic nuclear project
Tamas Perenyei was a state secretary during the first Orban-government and he maintains friendly relations with OTP-leader Sandor Csanyi. Last year, he bought a company which now signed a contract with Rosatom.
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Company that announced new Hungarian immigration program backs down and deletes ads
The Hong Kong-based company now claims that it had not been circumspect enough. According to the government, the program is a plain lie.
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New Hungarian immigration program advertised by a businessman, previously in controversial Golden Visa scheme
A Chinese advertisement says that applicants have to invest in real estate in order to receive Hungarian papers. According to the company that advertises the new programme, everything is discussed with Hungarian authorities. However, the Immigration Office denies this.
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The U.S. is so fed up with Hungary’s passport fraud problem that it’s threatening to kick the country out of its visa waiver program
Viktor Orban and Donald Trump might be kindred spirits but there is a serious conflict between their governments over national security threats, a joint story by Direkt36 and The Washington Post has revealed.
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