Budapest corruption scandal: bribery hidden behind toilet paper, exceeding two billion forints
Entrepreneur Z. Zsolt's testimony revealed how he transferred bribes in a Buda hotel, a yacht marina and homes. The bribery payments exceeded 2 billion forints.
Hotel toilet envelopes and money slipped under pillows – details from the Budapest corruption case
According to 24.hu, indictment documents obtained by Telex revealed the details showing how cash transfers took place in the widespread Budapest corruption case. According to testimonies, entrepreneur Z. Zsolt – who directed companies carrying out park maintenance work and had contractual relationships with several local councils – bribed Budapest district politicians for years, regardless of political affiliation.
"In this room there was a fireplace, a fridge, a sofa, wines and a Mihály Schéner painting (Tihany), I procured that for him at a very good price," Z. Zsolt said in his testimony about one of the affected politicians' home. At the same politician's place, he regularly handed over the envelope of money by slipping it under a pillow on the sofa while they sat chatting in the living room. At another politician's, with whom the entrepreneur claimed to have the best relationship, there was a safe built into the wall – containing, alongside the cash, a record written on a sheet of paper of previous bribes.
The Buda hotel toilet as a transfer point
An elegant Buda hotel, which belonged to Z. Zsolt's acquaintances, played a key role. Initially, transfers took place at the table with envelopes slipped behind decorative pillows, but the entrepreneur, by his own admission, "changed methods for conspiratorial reasons".
"Heading from the restaurant towards the hotel entrance, on the right, along the corridor there was a men's and women's toilet, entering which the right-hand door led to the men's toilet, and entering there were two toilets separated by doors next to each other, and I always placed the current cash amount in the right-hand toilet room on the window sill behind the toilet (sometimes in a bag, but sometimes just by itself), and surrounded it with toilet paper rolls so that if the staff happened to go in there, it wouldn't immediately stand out," Telex cited the testimony according to 24.hu.
He then always locked the toilet, carried the key with him, and when the relevant politician arrived at the meeting, he slipped it into the palm of his hand during a handshake. He transferred the amounts initially in one go, later in smaller instalments, sometimes 8–10–15 million forints at a time.
Yacht marina, Matra hike, back seat
The documents record other locations. In one case, an envelope changed hands in a Lake Balaton yacht marina car park. On another occasion, the transfer happened at the start of a Matra hike, in front of a plot – the politician had purchased property in the Matra region in his granddaughter's name.
"I handed it to him in front of the plot, he was a bit embarrassed, but quickly stashed the money in the A4 brown paper bag, first slipping it into his jacket, then immediately going to his car parked not far away and putting it in the back seat," the entrepreneur recalled.
The case participants and the sum exceeding two billion forints
The money paid for bribery purposes exceeded two billion forints. Between 2011 and 2024, across several municipal cycles and spanning political sides, Z. Zsolt paid corruption money to secure contracts of his own company and the businesses belonging to his company group, maintain them and improve their conditions.
At the III. District Local Council, Fidesz deputy mayor Péter Puskás regularly received bribes, which he shared in a 70–30 ratio with MSZP representative Gergő Czeglédy. Czeglédy faces suspicion of bribes worth hundreds of millions; he was taken into custody in June 2024 and was released last March. After the political shift, they reversed the ratio. Momentum representative Tünde Szkaliczki also received a share of the money in return for abandoning attacks on the park maintenance contract; the court recently decided that the affected Momentum politicians remain in detention.
At the II. District Local Council, the entrepreneur regularly gave bribes to mayors first Zsolt Láng (Fidesz), then Gergely Őrsi (MSZP). He paid Láng after his term as mayor as well, as he did to Fidesz electoral district chairman Csaba Gór. Socialist parliamentary representative Zsolt Molnár continuously received corruption payments for exercising party leadership influence over municipal politicians; Molnár cited his connections and the alleged redistribution.
Catering company group also involved
On another thread of the case, the owner and manager of a company group providing catering services also bribed the affected municipal leaders – with Z. Zsolt's assistance – to secure their own contracts. The company group's representative, for the same reason, also gave money to Pécs MSZP politician István Kőhegyi through Molnár Zsolt.
Source: 24.hu