Inside the crisis of the Hungarian opposition

Galavits Patrik, Szőke Dániel, Szabó András, Pethő András 2023.09.18.

The opposition parties that suffered a crushing defeat in 2022 are busy gaining positions in favor of each other instead of weakening the power of Fidesz.

Hungary refuses to disclose Chinese chemical hub project documents, Direkt36 sues

Panyi Szabolcs, Marton Kamilla 2023.08.07.

Since Direkt36 reported based on leaked documents that a large-scale Chinese chemical trade hub would be set up in Budapest and the town of Záhony, the Orbán government has denied the plans. However, a letter sent by Orbán’s chief of staff on the matter has been withheld from the public because it is considered as “data supporting decision-making”. Direkt36 is suing the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office for the documents.

The owners of private equity funds, which hide huge wealth, have been removed from the state register, after Direkt36 published an article about them

Wirth Zsuzsanna 2023.07.25.

Earlier this year Direkt36 was able to confirm the identity of the ultimate beneficial owners of dozens of private equity funds from a database managed by NAV, the Hungarian tax authority, but these records have now been deleted. No one takes responsibility for the disappearance of the data.

What happened in Hungary since the Pegasus spyware revelations

Panyi Szabolcs 2023.07.18.

The Hungarian broker company involved in the purchase of the spyware that hacked phones launched a series of lawsuits against us and other media outlets, but lost all of them. In the meantime, however, real investigation into the circumstances of the surveillance has been very slow due to the authorities’ resistance. Direkt36 summarizes the most important developments two years after the scandal broke.

Inside the surprise change at the top of Hungary’s nuclear plant

Szabó András 2023.07.11.

At the beginning of the year, the head of the nuclear power plant was unexpectedly dismissed because his position was needed for a politically well-established person, according to Direkt36. While Paks is about to take on a major task, the new head has no nuclear energy experience.

Hungary could become a European hub for Chinese chemicals, leaked documents reveal

Panyi Szabolcs, Marton Kamilla 2023.06.27.

According to secret plans uncovered by Direkt36, the Orbán government is close to reaching an agreement with China to transport Chinese chemicals supplying battery factories and other industries in Europe by rail through a Hungarian hub. One possible distribution center is on the outskirts of Budapest, while one of the companies involved in the project has ties to PM Orbán’s chief of staff.

A close acquaintance of Szijjártó acquired the company that is building a factory in Kecskemét, supported by HUF 1 billion from the state

Szőke Dániel 2023.06.22.

Szilárd Benkő worked for many years alongside Péter Szijjártó and also yachted with him on the Adriatic Sea. The man with a background as an instrument maker entered the construction industry a few years ago and, according to Direkt36’s research, has received state funding from the foreign ministry directly and indirectly on several occasions.

Former powerful CEO of Hungarian state companies, convicted for economic crimes, invited to government meetings

Szabó András 2023.06.12.

The former head of the Hungarian nuclear power plant in the city of Paks and the state energy company was sentenced in 2019 to five years of imprisonment for economic crimes. Despite his conviction, he appeared at closed-door meetings organized by the minister in charge of energy, according to Direkt36.

How Viktor Orbán angered his closest friends in Europe

Galavits Patrik, Panyi Szabolcs 2023.05.15.

A box of excrement was sent to the Hungarian Embassy in Warsaw, president Katalin Novák was lectured by the Polish prime minister, and Viktor Orbán’s European ambitions were jeopardized. Direkt36, in cooperation with Vsquare, have uncovered the behind the scenes story of the Hungarian-Polish alliance, which previously seemed unbreakable, since the outbreak of the war.

Bracing for US sanctions, Russian financier in Budapest was busy securing personal offshore assets, leaked documents reveal

Wirth Zsuzsanna, Panyi Szabolcs 2023.04.25.

Until last autumn, Nikolay Kosov headed the International Investment Bank, which is leaving Hungary. According to documents obtained by Direkt36, the Russian banker, who has since been hit by US sanctions, was planning to transfer his family’s assets to Dubai.

Before the Hungarian government exited the Russian bank, it was helped out by a government-close financial institution

Szabó András 2023.04.17.

According to internal documents obtained by Direkt36, OTP closed the accounts of the International Investment Bank after the outbreak of the war. Followingly, the Russian-dominated financial institution turned to the government-close MKB to open a new account.

A businessman known for yachting with Hungarian minister Péter Szijjártó was a member of a group of Fidesz activists destroying opposition’s posters

Szőke Dániel 2023.04.13.

They sprayed anti-migrant slogan to Jobbik posters in the run-up of the 2018 campaign. Several people linked to the Foreign Ministry were in the group, Direkt36 revealed.

Russians demand their money in Hungary’s controversial golden visa scheme

Panyi Szabolcs, Marton Kamilla 2023.03.21.

Lawyers of bondholders told Direkt36 that hundreds of thousands of euros were stuck with the intermediary company VolDan. Meanwhile, the company’s Hungarian representative office has become unavailable, and the company is under a compulsory strike off procedure from the official registry of companies.

“We need to pressure” the Hungarians – Leaked documents reveal collapse of Russian-led bank in Budapest

Panyi Szabolcs, Szabó András, Wirth Zsuzsanna, Marton Kamilla, Pethő András 2023.03.13.

Internal documents obtained by Direkt36 reveal that the Hungarian government has become one of the strongest backers of the Russian-dominated International Investment Bank, which was brought to the brink of collapse by the war against Ukraine.

Cyber companies accompanied the Israeli Prime Minister to Budapest, later one of them trained foreign intelligence officials in Hungary

Galavits Patrik 2023.02.21.

A company that sells surveillance intelligence technology accompanied Benjamin Netanyahu to his visit to Hungary in 2017. Direkt36 found out details about how later this company trained Bangladeshi secret agents in Budapest, during which they probably illegally intercepted Hungarian telephone conversations.

While former Fidesz politician rents properties to Rosatom, his son is paid for cleaning toilets

Szabó András 2023.02.02.

The company of Sándor Kovács signed contracts with the Russians building the Paks II nuclear power plant in the amount of almost 3 million euros. Direkt36’s report shows that recently his son has also been contracted by them.

Database exposes Hungarian oligarchs hiding huge fortunes

Wirth Zsuzsanna 2023.01.19.

Documents prove that pro-government businessmen actually own private equity funds that hide vast fortunes.

How Viktor Orbán decided to arm Hungary

Galavits Patrik 2023.01.10.

Hungary launched a major military development program seven years ago. The prime minister has used it to strengthen his international relationships and also realised the usefulness of the military in domestic politics.

We looked into the contracts signed by the Hungarian government with “Mr. Russia”

Szabó András 2022.12.13.

Direkt36 looked into the content of consultancy contracts that the Hungarian government signed last year with Klaus Mangold, an influential German businessman dubbed Mr. Russia for his Russian relations. These showed among others that he was entitled for a lucrative success fee in exchange for his assistance in the buy-back of the Budapest Airport.

How did Szijjártó’s futsal player friend become a top businessman?

Szőke Dániel 2022.12.06.

We have explored the business successes of Péter Szijjártó’s old colleague and teammate, and how hundreds of millions of forints of public money from the Foreign Ministry contributed to them.