The summer of 2018 was a crucial period not only for the Information Office (IH), which is a branch of the secret service in charge of foreign intelligence, but also for the Hungarian political system. An unprecedented intelligence operation and power struggle took place, putting the relationship between the government and the intelligence services on a new level.
For a long time, the Information Office operated under the supervision of János Lázár, then head of the Prime Minister’s Office. According to Telex, during his years as the head of the Information Office, János Lázár paid considerable attention to intelligence activities related to the EU institutions. This practice did not only concern OLAF, but also other EU delegations and officials in Hungary. The Information Office’s increasing surveillance activities not only put the Hungarian intelligence services in a delicate position but also undermined trust within the EU.
This arrangement was terminated in 2018 when the fourth Orbán government was formed, and the Information Office was placed under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, led by Péter Szijjártó. However, the handover process was not smooth and the situation quickly became tense.
Szijjártó’s first step was to invite the heads of the Information Office, including István Pásztor, the director general of the office, to a meeting. At the same time, however, he received an unusual order from the security department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: a special 30-strong team was to be allowed into the Information Office, demanding full access to the archives.
The search for documents
The task force, made up of representatives from various departments of the Ministry of the Interior, spent weeks at the headquarters of the Information Office. The official purpose of their investigation was to conduct a comprehensive review of the functioning of the intelligence services, but in reality, they were interested in information on specific cases. These included the economic affairs of the Orbán family, in particular those of István Tiborcz, the prime minister’s son-in-law, and the public procurement scandal involving Elios Plc.
During the raid, prosecutors questioned staff, searched archives and confiscated computers. The dismissed managers were not allowed to return to their offices, and their personal belongings were not returned until later.
The raid was carried out by the forces supervised by the Minister of the Interior, Sándor Pintér, but the initiative may have been backed by Viktor Orbán’s circles. The aim was to find out what information the Information Office had collected in the previous years of the government, particularly on the affairs of the Orbán family. The events shed light on the internal power struggles between the different actors in the government.
OLAF monitoring and the Elios case
One of the most controversial areas of the Information Office’s work has been the monitoring of OLAF, the European Union’s anti-fraud office. Under the leadership of János Lázár, the Information Office actively monitored OLAF’s investigation in Hungary into procurement abuses by Elios Plc. OLAF staff were tapped by telephone, followed physically and even secretly recorded. The aim was to gain early access to information gathered by the EU body.
OLAF investigations eventually revealed irregularities in the Elios projects and recommended the recovery of HUF 13 billion (EUR 31 million) of EU funds. However, the Hungarian government covered this from the budget, thus avoiding direct financial responsibility.
The consequences
The events of 2018 highlighted the lack of transparency and political independence of the Hungarian intelligence services. The task force’s actions also raised legal questions, as the lack of official documentation could indicate illegal activity. According to Miklós Ligeti, legal director of Transparency International Hungary, the events raise suspicions of criminality in several respects.
The 2018 crackdown not only led to the replacement of the IH leadership but also to a complete reorganisation of the functioning and internal power relations of the Hungarian intelligence service. Viktor Orbán personally criticised the previous activities of the Information Office, and it became clear that the intelligence service was coming under tighter control of government interests.
Read also:
- Hungarian foreign minister outrages for US sanctions against Putin’s Gazprombank
- Hungarian FM Szijjártó: ‘Pro-war mainstream launches final attack against new reality’
Featured image: depositphotos.com
Come on, people. Act surprised? All for the good of Hungarian Families!
Interesting.
The want of CONTROL through use of POWER, is this just another, if its ALL of Truth, just another example, like we know, the CONTROL, the Orban led Fidesz Government have “enforce” over the media in Hungary, the judiciary in Hungary, there use of Rule by Decree, there “want” to control Education – is this another example, that adds to the KNOWLEDGE, the on-going process undertaken by Victor Mihaly. Orban in his DISTILLATION of Democracy in Hungary ?
If FACT – Repulsive.