Police investigation into toy motor procurement
The Budapest Police Headquarters has launched a criminal investigation into a state purchase of toy motors, where plastic vehicles were procured at prices considerably above market value from a government-connected contractor.
Police investigation into toy motor procurement
The Budapest Police Headquarters has initiated a criminal investigation into a state purchase in which several thousand plastic toys were procured at steeply inflated prices last autumn. The BRFK press office confirmed to MTI that an investigation is being conducted against an unknown perpetrator on suspicion of the offence of breach of trust.
The complaint was filed by the head of the Social Affairs Ministry, Vilmos Kátai-Németh. According to the minister's position, the officials representing the institution violated their financial responsibility, and caused damage to the budget owing to the excessive amount paid. Investigators have not yet summoned anyone as a witness or suspect.
The procurement was based on the fact that the Ministry of Culture and Innovation spent approximately 185 million forints on 12,000 small plastic motors in November 2024. The unit price came to 15,000 forints, which according to experts is a multiple of the market value. The vehicles were delivered to kindergartens and nurseries by ruling party politicians during the election campaign. The action was announced by the ministry's state secretary for family affairs, Zsófia Koncz, referring to the products as "bunny motors".
An independent fact-checking portal had previously attempted to obtain information about the transaction, but the ministry did not respond at that time. The subsequently established Social Affairs Ministry, however, released the documents.
Source: Forbes.hu
Source: Google News HU — Crime (hu)