Orbán associates rush to move wealth out of Hungary after election defeat | Hungary

The news that the Viktor Orbán era was coming to an end on the banks of the Danube sparked a party that lasted for hours. Joy echoed throughout Hungary as people hugged and high-fived each other. But for some, the landslide loss led to a mad scramble.

Private jets allegedly loaded with the loot of people whose fortunes have soared during Orbán’s 16-year rule are constantly departing from Vienna, while others are racing to invest their assets abroad, sources have told the Guardian. Meanwhile, senior figures close to Orbán are exploring US visa options in the hope of finding work at Maga-linked institutions.

This is a glimpse into the turmoil gripping Hungary as it prepares to turn a new page in Orbán’s rule. Since coming to power in 2010, the leader and a small group close to his Fidesz party have amassed huge fortunes, in part due to their increased control over the country’s economy and EU-financed contracts for public infrastructure.

The Guardian has learned that since the election, three members of this inner circle have begun moving their assets abroad. Two Fidesz sources said wealth was being transferred to countries in the Middle East – Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UAE – while others were eyeing Australia and Singapore.

Péter Magyar, whose opposition Tisza party won a landslide victory this month, raised the alarm by accusing those linked to Fidesz of racing to shield their fortunes from accountability before the government came to power in early May.

“Orbán-linked oligarchs are transferring tens of billions of forints to the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Uruguay and other distant countries,” Magyar said on social media on Saturday. He called on the attorney general, the police chief and the head of the tax office to “arrest the criminals” and “not allow them to escape” to countries where the possibility of extradition is low.

Among those expected to leave the country is the family of Lőrinc Mészáros, one of Orbán’s closest friends, whose journey from gas fitter to Hungary’s richest man was supported in part by public procurement contracts, Magyar said. Mészáros’ company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“I was also informed that several oligarch families have left the country,” Magyar added. “According to reports, many influential oligarch families have withdrawn their children from school and are arranging reliable security personnel for them to leave.”

The race to move wealth abroad was first reported by independent journalists in Hungary. vsquareKey figures linked to Orbán aim to protect their assets before the Magyar government potentially freezes, seizes or expropriates assets, news site 444.hu said, which claimed in March that key figures had already transferred their assets to Dubai.

Vsquare’s efforts may be hampered by many bureaucrats and law enforcement officials who have partial knowledge of what happened during Orbán’s time in power. noted“setting the stage for years-long efforts to recover allegedly stolen public wealth and arrest those who committed financial crimes.”

Magyar has repeatedly said since the election that his government will work to eliminate the corruption and nepotism that, in his view, characterized Fidesz’s years in power. “Our country has no time to waste. Hungary is in trouble in every respect. It has been plundered, plundered, betrayed, indebted and ruined,” Magyar told reporters the day after the election. “We have become the poorest, most corrupt country in the EU.”

The new leader has repeatedly claimed that potentially incriminating documents were destroyed during Orbán’s final weeks in power. “We are receiving increasing reports of large-scale document destruction from various ministries, affiliated institutions and companies close to Fidesz,” he wrote on social media earlier this month.

Outgoing foreign minister Péter Szijjártó, whose ministry was among those accused of shredding secret documents, called the accusations “absurd” and “outrageous” in a statement to Hungarian online news outlet Telex. The department said it “only discards pre-printed, unnecessary paper versions of documents stored electronically.”

Orbán’s foreign ministry and office, which has long denied allegations of corruption and abuse of power, did not respond to the Guardian’s requests for comment.

The election result has sparked questions about what happens next for Orbán, the strongman leader whose efforts to turn Hungary into what he called “a petri dish for liberalism” inspired the administration of Donald Trump and the global far right.

Orbán said on social media on Saturday that he would not take his seat in parliament but aimed to remain as leader of Fidesz to lead a “renewal” process.

A source linked to Fidesz told the Guardian that the EU’s longest-serving leader is expected to travel to the US around the same time as the start of the FIFA World Cup and is likely to spend several weeks there. The source said the trip was planned long before the April 12 elections.

It is not known exactly where Orbán will go, but his eldest daughter and son-in-law moved to New York last summer.

Son-in-law István Tiborcz emerged into the public eye in 2018, when the EU’s anti-fraud office Olaf said it had launched a two-year investigation into contracts for the supply of EU-financed street lights to Hungarian towns. I found “many of the projects have not only serious irregularities but also conflicts of interest”. Although Olaf did not publish his reports or reveal who was named in them, the Guardian understands there were irregularities regarding contracts signed while Tiborcz owned the company in question.

A representative for Tiborcz referred the Guardian to: July interview Tiborcz stated that the EU investigation was politically motivated. The point is also investigated No violations of the law were found by Hungarian prosecutors, led by an Orbán loyalist.

A US government source in Washington and a Fidesz insider said other senior figures linked to Fidesz had applied for US work visas, hoping to use their expertise at institutions affiliated with the Republican party.

“The connection already exists,” the US source said, adding that years of lobbying by Orbán and Fidesz have allowed Hungarian officials to create a wide network within the Maga movement. These connections became clear ahead of the election, when US vice president JD Vance arrived in Budapest to support Orbán’s remaining campaign.

Days after the election, Szabolcs Panyi, one of Hungary’s most prominent investigative journalists, said that despite ongoing questions about Orbán and his government’s connections to Moscow, sources had told him that the United States had long been seen as a plan B for many with ties to Orbán.

“As long as the Trump administration is in power, even the United States may become a safe haven for the upper echelons of the Orbán regime,” Panyi said.