Former minister Miklós Seszták suspected of corruption worth 12.6 billion forints; arrested on Monday
The former national development minister is suspected of accepting bribes for official acts. According to 444, corruption money ranging from the Volánbusz affair to bus purchases reached him through money couriers.
Volánbusz affair, bus purchases, swimming pool construction: multibillion-forint bribery charges against Miklós Seszták
Miklós Seszták, the former national development minister of the KDNP, was taken into custody on Monday at the Central Investigation Prosecutor's Office. According to 444, the representative is suspected of the felony of accepting bribes for official acts and additional criminal offences, and the chief prosecutor's motion accuses him of accepting unlawful benefits totalling 12.6 billion forints.
Seszták held the position of national development minister between 6 June 2014 and 18 May 2018. His remit included regulating state asset management and exercising ownership control, overseeing public procurement, directing the Hungarian National Asset Management Company (MNV), and developing road, rail, water and air transport.
The details were presented to parliament on Monday by Pál Czakó Czirbus, a member of the Immunity Committee, and he subsequently sent the text of his speech to 444 as well. The motion lists three separate cases.
Volánbusz affair: Three companies paid 115 million forints monthly to an interest group to maintain their contracts with Volánbusz. Seszták and the MNV's then-chief executive took over this system, increased the amount to 130 million forints, and from that point on had to be paid. According to the motion presented by Czakó Czirbus, "from May 2015 to July 2018, Dr Miklós Seszták and the then-chief executive of MNV Zrt. received a total of 7,076,000,000 forints in corruption money through money couriers".
Bus purchases: Between 2015 and 2017, 14 transactions involved the procurement of a total of 645 new and used buses. The suppliers "paid out corruption money totalling 3,706,600,000 forints per bus at a specified rate, through money couriers". Seszták received 80 per cent of the transferred amount, whilst the MNV chief executive received 20 per cent, according to the motion.
Projects and swimming pool construction: From projects linked to a named limited company, one person transferred a total of 1,050,662,605 forints to Seszták through money couriers. Another limited company, principally in connection with swimming pool construction work, was used by the same person to transfer a further 270,164,701 forints in unlawful benefits to the former minister.
The prosecutor's motion, presented across 11 pages and 51 paragraphs, lists the criminal offences, dates and amounts received. According to the summary by Czakó Czirbus Pál, the indictment establishes: "Dr Miklós Seszták, by adhering to and enforcing the corruption agreement, by awarding successive contracts to the companies of the aforementioned person, and by determining final contractor payments, abused his official position in order to gain unlawful benefit."
Parliament suspended Seszták's immunity at Monday's session, and shortly thereafter he appeared at the Central Investigation Prosecutor's Office.
Source: 444