Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban keeps repeating that he doesn’t deal with business issues. The companies of his family members, however, are benefitting from EU-funded constructions that are carried out by the business empire of Lorinc Meszaros, a friend of the PM. We explain their business relationship in a short video.
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How public money keeps flowing to Orban’s family through Hungary’s new tycoon
Hungarian companies also involved in “Grand Theft Europe”, the EU’s biggest tax fraud
The shockingly high amount of 50 billion euros is robbed every year from European taxpayers through so-called VAT carousel fraud. An international investigation reveals that Hungarian companies have also been involved in criminal networks.
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How people close to Viktor Orbán’s brother became key players in major procurements of Hungary’s tax authority
An acquaintance of Orbán Győző Jr. became the head of the department in charge of major procurements at the National Tax and Customs Authority (NAV), while his other acquaintance has won high-value public tenders from the same authority. The three men know each other through wrestling.
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How we exposed some of the deepest secrets of Hungary’s controversial golden visa program
Through a residency bond scheme run by the Hungarian government, several foreigners were granted residency in spite of potentially posing serious security risks for Hungary and the European Union. Blanka Zöldi recalls how we found out about these people.
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Since the closure of Hungary’s Golden Visa Program, more foreigners receive residence permits for unclear purposes
In the past two years, over 9 thousand foreigners received residence permits for “other purposes”. Most of them came from Iran, China, the United States and Russia. Hungary’s Immigration Office Claims that that it does not have any statistical data about why exactly the applicants of such permits wish to reside in Hungary.
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Elegant flat beside the Danube and Romanian lands remained invisible in Hungarian legislator’s asset declaration
Erik Bánki said that he currently “halfway” lives in the elegant Roman Wellness Home gated community, although there is no sign of this in his asset declarations. He did not declare the flat and over 100 hectares of land in Romania because they were owned by his companies, not by him personally.
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Failed Bioethanol Project in Romania Leaves Unanswered Questions for Hungarian Legislator
Erik Bánki, a senior member of Hungary’s governing Fidesz party owns a lot of land in Hungary, but now we have also found his lands in Romania. He bought them for a huge bioethanol project, but it is unclear how he financed the purchases. According to him, various companies gave him loans, but he doesn’t remember their names.
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Hungary revoked 16 Golden Visa holders’ residence permit. It seems that the moneyman of the Syrian president and the family of Russian SVR chief were not among them
A state secretary earlier said that problematic residence permits had already been revoked. He must have referred to other people.
Continue readingMoneyman of Syria’s president received Hungarian residence permit through Russia
Atiya Khoury, who is on the US sanction list, used an address in South Moscow to apply for residence permit through Hungary’s controversial Golden Visa Program. His application was handled by a company with ties to Viktor Orbán’s advisor.
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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.
Continue readingMembers 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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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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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.
Continue readingMP 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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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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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.
Continue readingThe moneyman of Bashar al-Assad received permanent residence permit in Hungary after having been put on U.S. sanction list
Hungarian authorities do not plan to carry out further investigations or to revoke the permanent residence permit of two the two Syrian men with controversial backgrounds named in the joint investigation of Direkt36 and 444. According to the Immigration Office, one of them did not buy residency bonds, contrary to what a close relative of his told Direkt36.
Continue readingThe moneyman of Bashar al-Assad and a suspect of a serious international crime participated in Hungary’s Golden Visa program
People who could pose serious security risks for Hungary and the European Union were granted residency through a controversial Golden Visa scheme run by the Hungarian government.
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Senior official says no residency bond buyers stayed in Hungary. But we have found several of them
Chinese citizens have been flocking to Hungary. But since public outrages forced the suspension of the country’s Golden Visa program last year, these new guests have begun to wonder if they’ll get their investment back.
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