Gamma Analcont, a company minority owned by one of Viktor Orban’s younger brothers, won a high-value public procurement for the remote monitoring of gas-networks of E.ON.
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Until now, Orbán’s family has stayed away from public procurements. Now the company of his brother won a lucrative one
Reshuffle at the Orbán companies: PM’s brother quits a firm while his father gets positions in two other
One of the affected companies was also part of some big state-financed construction projects.
Continue readingInside Viktor Orbán’s Response to the War in Ukraine
Viktor Orbán came home from his talks with Vladimir Putin saying that he did not expect war. When it did break out, there was some wavering on the continuation of the government’s pro-Russian policy, but in the end, there was no change of direction because of the importance of Russian natural gas as well as longtime anti-Western sentiments.
Continue readingThe inside story of how Pegasus was brought to Hungary
Direkt36 has revealed that the cyber weapon was purchased by the Hungarian state through a broker company that later became partly owned by Minister of Interior Sándor Pintér’s close confidant, László Tasnádi, who once worked for the Communist state security apparatus. The company also involved a businessman who had previous ties to the current left-wing opposition. Pegasus was considered such an expensive and top-class weapon by the intelligence agencies that it was kept secret even in internal circles.
Continue readingÁron Orbán promotes both diet-food and weapons. Meanwhile, pro-government businessmen are popping up around him
The company of the prime minister’s brother runs a shop of Norbert Schobert’s chain in Croatia. The gun shop he regularly advertises is building a shooting range on his land and has won an EU tender.
Continue readingSinking ground on the Paks II nuclear power plant site could further delay the project
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.
Continue readingInside the opposition’s crushing defeat against Viktor Orbán
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.
Continue reading“Please, don’t report about this at all! Thanks!” – How the Hungarian state news agency censors politically unpleasant news
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.
Continue readingIT entrepreneur with ties to Viktor Orbán’s family has further grown his business empire built on state tenders
Information technology businessman Gábor Szentgyörgyi has had close relations to Viktor Orbán’s family for a long time now. It started with a connection to Győző Orbán junior, the prime minister’s brother, through wrestling, then he showed up in the company of the prime minister and his father, Győző Orbán senior in a football stadium, and Read More
Continue readingÍgy foszlott szét a kormányzati ködösítés a Pegasus-ügyben
Három és fél hónapon át próbálta az Orbán-kormány előbb letagadni, majd agyonhallgatni, hogy az államnak köze lenne a Pegasus-ügyhöz. Ez egészen addig működött is, amíg november 4-én délután Kósa Lajos az RTL Klubnak beismerte, hogy Magyarország megvásárolta és használja is az izraeli NSO Group Pegasus nevű kémszoftverét. Összefoglaljuk, hogy jutott a kormányzat a tagadástól a beismerésig.
Continue readingHungarian intel officer involved in spyware operations appears on Pegasus list
The telephone number of an intelligence officer at the Special Service for National Security (SSNS), which conducts secret surveillance and interceptions, also appears in the list of Pegasus spyware targets, a Direkt36 investigation has found.
Continue readingIn Israel, Pegasus was developed to counter terrorism. In Hungary, a top counter-terrorism official became its target
Former deputy head of Hungary’s Counter Terrorism Centre Zsolt Bodnár was selected for targeting with the Israeli spyware. Direkt36 found out that when this happened, Bodnár had a conflict with his boss, the Head of Counter Terrorism, who is also Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s former chief bodyguard.
Continue readingEntrepreneur enriched by state tenders starts a new business on the Orbáns’ family land
Gábor Szentgyörgyi, a wrestling acquaintance of Viktor Orbán’s brother, has so far been a big winner in state tenders with his IT group, but now he is starting a plastic business on the Orbán-family’s estates.
Continue readingPM Orbán tried to prevent hospital dramas with vaccination. In the end, he could only hide them
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.
Continue reading“A story like out of a spy movie,” personal reports by two surveilled Direkt36 journalists
Two Hungarian journalists Szabolcs Panyi and András Szabó share their personal reports of how it felt to find out they were surveilled through their mobile phones for weeks and months.
Continue readingOpposition mayor has long suspected to be surveilled. Now we know that he has been targeted with Pegasus
The mayor of Gödöllő was targeted at a time when he was in a serious conflict with the government. People close to him have also appeared in the leaked database of targets selected for Pegasus.
Continue readingPresident of the Hungarian Bar Association and several other lawyers have been targeted by Pegasus
Professional secrecy does not seem to protect lawyers from becoming targets of surveillance. Bánáti was targeted during a famous murder case, while another lawyer became the target at the time when he wanted to run against the Fidesz mayor of a small town during the last municipal elections.
Continue readingThe mine of the Orbán family pays the highest dividend among its competitors
According to the latest data available, Dolomit Kft. paid 1,8 billion forints (4,98 million euros) as dividends in 2019, which is more than the thirteen times more than the sectorial average.
Continue readingA fugitive wanted for murder became a businessman in Budapest under false identity
Haris Ahmed has escaped from Bangladesh, where his brother currently serves as Army Chief. The man had been on the Interpol’s Red Notice list for years, now he is using his connections at home to enrich himself in Europe.
Continue readingOrbán’s father offers building materials for a much higher price than the competition
Dolomit Kft. participates in state projects despite selling some of its products 60-70 percent more expensive than its main competitors.
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