Detained mayor writes from prison to residents of his district in corruption case
The mayor of Budapest's 2nd district, held in custody on bribery charges, has sent a handmade paper umbrella to his home district accompanied by a letter written from behind bars.
Detained mayor writes from prison to residents of his district in corruption case
The leader of the capital's 2nd district, held in custody for accepting bribes, has sent a handmade umbrella home with a message written from behind bars, according to Index.hu.
According to Gergely Őrsi's account, until he can resume his mayoral duties in full, he has found a new occupation. The creation of the small paper object takes two to three hours of work in prison: first the geometric shapes must be measured, then the sticks glued together, and finally the details shaped with nail clippers.
The handmade artwork was dedicated to the memory of a local couple, florists from Pasarét, who had served the neighbourhood for generations. In their honour, a miniature statue was unveiled in 2022.
The politician is suspected by the Central Investigation Prosecutor's Office of involvement in a two-billion forint corruption network. A greenspace management company and a canteen company owner allegedly made illegal payments to representatives of both major parties.
According to investigators, the entrepreneur first transferred money regularly to Fidesz's Zsolt Láng, and then to Gergely Őrsi, who had recently left the MSZP. Furthermore, he continuously gave sums to former parliamentary representative Zsolt Molnár in order to assert his will within party alliances.
The Buda Central District Court most recently extended the detention of the three suspects – Őrsi, Láng and Molnár – until 4 October.
Source: Index