Steven N.The Democratic Coalition (DK) has lodged a complaint with the EU’s anti-fraud office, OLAF, over the abuse of funds among staff in the Ministry of Finance and Prime Minister’s Office, the party announced on Saturday morning.
The Central Investigating Prosecutor General’s Office launched an investigation at the end of April into suspected bribery and other crimes, including misuse of tenders. Certain employees at the Ministry of Finance and the Prime Minister’s Office have been connected with the scandal, in which they were able to obtain 10 billion Ft. (US $27.6 million) in aid from EU and Hungarian sources through corrupt criminal activities.
On Friday, it was revealed that the prosecutor’s office conducting the investigation had questioned 20 suspects, 12 of whom represented a company, and seven of whom were current or former ministry officials.
Sándor Rónai, DK’s representative in the European Parliament, called it shocking that:
In Hungary today, on the 18th anniversary of our joining the EU, money from the European Union intended for Hungarians can disappear in the depths of official rooms, and which could have been used to develop hospitals, schools, and roads, renovate buildings, or build playgrounds.
