Hungast Group name surfaces in Óbuda corruption case – search conducted at company
According to multiple sources, the Hungast public catering company group may be at the centre of one strand of the Óbuda corruption case. Authorities conducted a search at the company.
Hungast involvement in the Óbuda corruption case: search and political connections
According to 24.hu's information, the so-called Óbuda corruption case, which actually extends to several districts and Pécs, may involve the Hungast public catering company group as one of its key players. Multiple independent sources identified the company to Telex.
According to the prosecution's suspicion, the owner and head of the company group may have channelled bribes through intermediaries to municipal leaders in districts II and III and in Pécs in order to secure public procurement contracts favourable to Hungast. The transfer of the money may have been arranged by an intermediary who was detained earlier, according to the assumptions.
Among those detained is the current mayor of district II, Gergely Őrsi, who left the MSZP two years ago, the Fidesz-affiliated Zsolt Láng, a former district leader, and Péter Puskás, the Fidesz chairman of district III.
Public procurement contracts won in the affected districts
Hungast's involvement is reinforced by the fact that in recent years it has secured significant public procurement contracts from several affected municipalities: in district II in 2022, in Óbuda in 2023, and in Pécs it has provided public catering services since 2022. In recent days, authorities conducted a search at the company, but the company and its owner did not respond to media inquiries.
Recurring disputes with political connections
Hungast's expansion has been in the public eye for years due to political connections. In 2014, following a decision by then district XIV Fidesz mayor Ferenc Papcsák, Hungast-Mecsek Kft. took over the operation of school dining facilities in Zugló, to the value of approximately 200 million forints per year. The municipality had previously terminated the contract with the previously operating service provider, issued a restricted public procurement procedure, which Hungast won – and the company later also obtained a contract as the sole bidder.
In 2018, a similar dispute broke out in Szekszárd: the municipality scaled back its own, previously profitable public catering company, when it transferred the supply of most of the schools to Kölyökmenza Kft., an entity belonging to Hungast interests. According to Ákos Hadházy and other critics, the city financed the new service provider on more favourable terms, whilst the municipal company's revenues declined significantly.
The press previously linked the ownership circle of Hungast to former Fidesz MP Erik Bánki. Bánki has repeatedly denied, however, that he has any influence over the company's operations. In response to Telex's inquiry, he now wrote that the authorities did not contact him and he learned about the matter from the press.
The investigation is ongoing
The current investigation is still underway, and the prosecution has not yet named specific individuals. However, according to multiple independent sources, Hungast's executives may also be among the suspects.
Source: 24.hu