Head of Hungary’s Integrity Authority Faces Further Charges
The head of Hungary’s Integrity Authority, Ferenc Pál Bíró, is facing new allegations of embezzlement amounting to 87 million forints (EUR 217,000). The central investigative prosecutor’s office (KNYF) has questioned Bíró on suspicion of further crimes, in addition to the earlier charges of abuse of office.
According to KNYF, Bíró is suspected of hiring a foreign company to set up and run a representative office for the Integrity Authority in Brussels, despite not being authorized to have a foreign representation. The foreign contractor received a sum of 17 million forints for these services. Additionally, Bíró signed two more contracts with the same company last year for consultancy services and lobbying activities unrelated to the authority’s profile, totaling 45 million forints in payments to the contractor.
It was also revealed that Bíró employed a friend and paid him 2 million forints monthly to contribute to the curriculum of a planned Integrity Academy, activities that were not connected to his authority. These new allegations add to the ongoing scandal surrounding Hungary’s Integrity Authority.
The director-general of the Integrity Authority has denied the allegations against him in previous statements. In a separate incident, a Hungarian gang was reported to have ripped off foreign tourists in Budapest, causing damage estimated at EUR 2.5 million.
The investigation into Ferenc Pál Bíró’s actions and the alleged corruption within the Integrity Authority continues as authorities work to uncover the full extent of the wrongdoing.
