No evidence of guilt for Gergely Őrsi, says his lawyer
The lawyer of the district mayor says the arrest was based on a single witness statement. The prosecutor's office suspects bribery.
No evidence of guilt for Gergely Őrsi, says his lawyer
Gergely Őrsi, the mayor of District II, was taken into custody based on the statements of a single witness – claims Attila Morvai, the politician's legal representative. Speaking to the local newspaper Budai Polgár, the defence counsel said that the most severe coercive measure was imposed based on the words of a person whose account contains contradictions at several points and whose credibility is questionable.
According to Morvai, it is absurd that there should be a risk of reoffending in the case of a public figure, especially since the charge alleges that the alleged events were completed in 2024. The lawyer argued that detention should be based on concrete facts, not on assumptions.
In the footage released by the investigating authorities, a surface covered with money and expensive watches are visible. The defence counsel emphasised that these recordings were not taken at the mayor's home. The prosecutor's office did not disclose which of the suspects the items were seized from, and it is also unclear whether these items point to a criminal offence.
On 4 June, the Central Investigating Prosecutor's Office announced that Zsolt Láng, a former Fidesz leader, and his successor Őrsi were accused of regularly accepting money from the owner of a park maintenance company in exchange for securing contracts. According to the charge, executives of a company operating a canteen also paid the politicians. Thirty-two people are named as suspects in the proceedings.
In a statement of his own, Gergely Őrsi wrote that the charges against him are entirely without foundation. According to the investigating authorities, a middleman named Z. Zsolt claimed that the mayor asked him to pay out certain sums at their first meeting after the 2019 election in exchange for favourable future contracts.
The district leader won last year's municipal election with close to 70 per cent support. After his arrest, local residents also organised a protest in his support.
Source: 24.hu
Source: 24.hu