All posts by Wirth Zsuzsanna

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.

“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.

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.

Hungary’s diplomats with controversial backgrounds caught up in an investigation by international journalists

Wirth Zsuzsanna, Marton Kamilla 2022.11.15.

Direkt36 has been part of the “Shadow Diplomats” project, an investigation into the murky world of honorary consuls, led by ICIJ and ProPublica. We found that Hungary is represented by honorary consuls who are accused of crimes such as financing terrorism.

“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.

“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.

“Seller shall not undertake maintenance” – hospitals struggled with smoking, incompatible Chinese ventilators

Wirth Zsuzsanna 2021.12.21.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs signed unfavorable terms in a series of pricy contracts. What did hospitals do with Chinese ventilators?

Resignations follow our exposé of lavish spending at a pro-government think tank

Wirth Zsuzsanna 2021.09.17.

As Direkt36 exposed controversial expenditures at a publicly funded think tank ran by the son of a former PM, several officials decided to leave.

PM Orbán tried to prevent hospital dramas with vaccination. In the end, he could only hide them

Szabó András, Wirth Zsuzsanna 2021.08.23.

Despite flaws in February, how did the Hungarian government manage to present its epidemiological measures as a success in the eyes of the public? Here is the background story of Hungary’s third COVID-19 wave.

While a tax audit is underway at his foundation, the earnings of Péter Antall rise high

Wirth Zsuzsanna 2021.07.22.

The think tank of the late Hungarian PM has been awarded almost 5 million forints from the government so far, yet it made losses in 2020. Earlier, Direkt36 uncovered its problematic spending and costly travels.

Around the world in luxury: How the son of a former PM benefits from Orbán’s regime

Wirth Zsuzsanna 2021.05.31.

The think tank ran by Péter Antall has received lucrative support from Viktor Orbán’s government. Direkt36 has obtained internal documents about the organization’s lavish spending.

Company with murky background is at the center of Hungary’s Chinese vaccine deal

Wirth Zsuzsanna, Pethő András 2021.03.18.

There are more and more questions about the procurement of Chinese vaccines. One of the people behind the company supplying the vaccines is a former ice hockey player who, according to his acquaintances, works for an energy drink company and has never had a serious business before, Direkt36 found.

„Read this! It’s crazy!” How the machine of crypto investment fraudsters works

Wirth Zsuzsanna 2020.12.03. 2 Comments

Fake news sites offering get-rich-quick opportunities lead people to criminals. The scammers trick Google and Facebook into promoting their offers.

How sloppy coronavirus measures pushed healthcare workers to the brink of death

Wirth Zsuzsanna 2020.10.22.

12 hours in surgical masks, a lack of testing and a string of nurses falling ill. In May, coronavirus tread down a hospital in Western Hungary.

It started as a simple patient transfer, but then it showed the chaos in the coronavirus fight

Wirth Zsuzsanna 2020.07.13. 2 Comments

In April, elderly patients were transferred between two Hungarian hospitals without testing. Thus, Covid-19 got into another institution.

„By now, no one can give even a piece of bread”

Wirth Zsuzsanna 2020.04.27.

For Hungarians living in deep poverty, the world has turned upside down since the coronavirus lockdown. Although poor rural communities have not yet seen a breakout but most jobs are gone and with no savings and barely enough food left, people cannot afford to buy even disinfectants. So far, the government has failed to take action, leaving thousands of starving families without help.

After 15 years of constant reorganization, Hungarian epidemiology was hit hard by coronavirus

Szabó András, Wirth Zsuzsanna 2020.03.29. 3 Comments

Socialist governments crippled the network of state laboratories, Fidesz cut the epidemiologists’ central institution into pieces before trying to reverse the restructuring. Hungarian epidemiology struggles with the pandemic in a weakened state.

God sent this investment. Or the Devil

Wirth Zsuzsanna, Tasnádi Kata 2020.03.09. 1 Comment

Tricksters from a Kyiv-based call center have defrauded vulnerable people from all around the world, luring them with empty promises of profitable investments. Direkt36 has found several Hungarian victims who talk about the psychology of the online fraud machine and what hurts the most.