Hungarian government shaken by raid targeting anti-corruption chief

Police in Hungary have raided the offices of the Integrity Authority, a state body that oversees the use of EU money abroad.

The Chief Prosecutor has announced that its president, Ferenc Biro, is suspected of corruption and abuse of authority.

The police also raided Biro’s house and took away the documents.

He has admitted to “lenting his official car to his wife for shopping”, but has rejected the allegations and said he is being targeted for political reasons “from above”.

That statement alone has raised concerns in Hungary.

Ferenc Biro and his wife Judit are insiders in the leading ranks of the ruling Fidesz party, with excellent connections at the highest levels. His position and salary is equivalent to that of a government minister.

The Integrity Authority was established in early 2023 to provide evidence to the European Commission that EU funds were spent correctly and audited. Its leaders were appointed by the President of the Republic.

The chief prosecutor’s office has also accused him of obstructing the work of two of his vice presidents.

These allegations are shaking the government for three reasons.

They come just 10 days after Antal Rogan, the minister in charge of government communications and secret services in Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s cabinet, was placed on a sanctions list by the US Treasury as the “primary architect, implementer and beneficiary of this system”. Of corruption”.

That move was strongly criticized by the government as “personal revenge” against outgoing US Ambassador David Pressman.

Another reason is that Chief Prosecutor Peter Polt has long been accused by the opposition of failing to investigate corruption in the ruling Fidesz party.

The third reason is that Hungary permanently lost €1 billion (£845 million) in EU funds on 31 December, and would be unable to meet the strict EU criteria for releasing the funds if it had already been suspended. If it doesn’t, billions of dollars are at risk.

“Throughout my career I have been fighting against corruption and fraud and fighting for ethics and integrity,” Biro wrote in his application to run for president in October 2022.

According to a statement released by the chief prosecutor, in addition to his official vehicle, Biro rented a second luxury car, racking up a 14 million Hungarian forint (€34,000; £29,000) bill.

Hungarian media reports alleged that office funds were used to renovate his luxury home and build a several hundred meter long fence around it.

Hungary’s economy is in crisis, with a shortage of EU funds, a decline in the value of the Hungarian currency and a sharp increase in annual inflation to 4.6% last month.

Government critics believe Ferenc Biro may be right – that Viktor Orbán is trying to sacrifice one of his chess pieces to access badly needed cash.

Biro has hit back at the investigation in a statement.

“Today they have specifically attacked my person and through this they have tried to make the functioning of the Integrity Authority impossible,” he said on Thursday night.

“Our organization has always and will continue to operate to the highest ethical and legal standards.”