The Magical Nokia-box - part 22.

What decision was given at first instance?

After the prosecution admitted that they had committed mistakes and the charges related to the Nokia-box had been dropped, Hagyó was imposed two-year suspended sentence. However, he was not found guilty in connection with the Nokia-box and the metro line 4, furthermore the charge of being involved in criminal organization was also dropped. Since the ex Deputy Lord Mayor is still pleading his innocence the responsible defence lawyers have appealed the decision and the case goes to the court of second instance.

What were the antecedents of the decision?

The last witness was heard in September, 2015 in the BKV case. However, even after the case took more unexpected turns. In the last moment the prosecution amended the indictment again basically eliminating the count related to the Nokia-box.

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is like the gentlemen’s club.

The Hungarian judiciary is being criticised by both the right and the left-wing political parties for their decisions made in such cases as the red mud disaster case, the Hagyó-case and the Sukoró-case. The press conference held by Attila Harangozó, president of the Regional Court of Szeged, and his deputy, Attila Hámori aimed at reacting among others to the above mentioned.

Attila Harangozó began the discussion with pointing out that every organization has a structure and on top of the structure there is a leader appointed accordingly. The successful work of an organization requires the loyalty and professionalism of all the members. The court is a national organization – it has to work for the interest of the state and in harmony with it.

The Magical Nokia-box - part 21.

Why is the work of prosecution questionable?

The BKV-case is a good example of how successfully can the prosecution, the police and the court work together when the political interest requires so. One of the most important roles was performed by prosecutor Szabadváriné Dr., the chief of the Department of Special Investigation. It can be hardly considered to be correct that the first highly illegal arrests and interrogations in relation with the investigation took place with her approval – just as the fact that later she was awarded for this by Tarlós. Not to mention that the charges related to the Nokia-boxes were dealt with unexceptional attention and priority – often ignoring the related processes. The investigation in the case of the well indicated bribery was launched after Balogh unsaid his testimony. Until that time it was considered as a charge supported by one single person’s statements.

Who did initiate the prosecution in the BKV-case?

The scandal around the severance pays paid by BKV broke in 2009, not much before the parliamentary elections. The Fidesz, of course, abused the situation and they were continuously attacking the coalition leading the capital. The first charges were made by the future lord mayor as the representative of the party. István Tarlós turned to the prosecutor’s office in connection with the above mentioned severance pays on July 29, 2015.

The Magical Nokia-box - part 3

What exploded the BKV-scandal?

 Let’s jump back until July 23, 2009 when BKV-scandal exploded in connection with the dismissal pay of Szalainé Szilágyi Eleonóra, former HR director. Hagyó, who was on vacation at that time, immediately ordered an investigation in this case. According to Magyar Nemzet daily BKV concluded unnecessary contracts and paid excessive dismissal pays. Now we are aware of the fact the BKK still concludes these kinds of contracts so far. Of course the press barely wright about this and nobody has been arrested accordingly. 

What did experts say about the necessity of the contracts?

 Nothing. The prosecutor’s office considered these contracts as unnecessary and surplus so incriminated them. The prosecutor’s office did not ask experts to write their opinion. The indictment declared as fact – without experts’ opinion – that BKV’s marketing activity was totally unnecessary as the company was in monopoly position. On top of all that it was Hagyó who pointed at the unprofessional argument of the prosecutor’s office during the court trial. He namely asked the question that “who has transport engineering, metropolis public transportation-logistics and communication or marketing skills in the prosecutor’s office so he can decide and establish such a serious declaration?”.

The nokia box story is over

The BKV case continued in Kecskemét with the screening of the confrontation between Miklós Hagyó and Zsolt Balogh on September 14, 2010. Zsolt Balogh after the hearing said: he felt that he could only stay released if he says incriminatory about Miklós Hagyó. Hagyó never ordered him into any outlawry; respectively he never gave him any money.

Before the court viewed the record in closed circle, András Kádár, the lawyer of the former deputy lord mayor asked the resume of the verdict from the European Court of Human Rights from Strasbourg in the case between Hagyó and Hungary. 

The Magical Nokia-box - part 1.

Origins of the Magic box

The Magic box opened like Pandora’s Box: Zsolt Balogh former general manager of BKV started to talk about Nokia boxes filled with 15 Million HUF in February, 2010, which he had to give over Miklós Hagyó Deputy Mayor. He had repeated this story during the investigative phase of the BKV-case but later he withdrew it in the judicial phase. 168 Óra weekly indicated Balogh with “Nokia man” attributive in September, 2009 with which it predicted the script of the BKV-case.

Miklós Hagyó

How many Nokia boxes existed according to Balogh?

Due to Balogh’s allegation he had to give over 15 Million HUF to Hagyó twice a year. For the first time the one who allegedly possessed the money sent the general manager directly to Hagyó. The handover process was justified by Hagyó in the middle of the Hévíz-lake. Then Balogh gave over the other 15 Million personally to Hagyó in a Nokia box – allegedly.

Hagyó Files

The primary purpose of this blog is to serve as a source of information on the BKV case in Budapest, Hungary. The “Hagyó Case” as it commonly known in Hungary due the main defendant, Hagyó Miklós, will be presented and hopefully discussed through this blog either in blog-style articles, more journalistic compositions, or case-related documents. The case has garnered much domestic and international attention due to the high-profile defendants who were an alleged criminal network in the midst of Hungary’s on-going transition from a repressive communist regime into a transparent democracy in today’s highly globalized stage. If you are interested and would like to follow our updates, please register via the RSS feed!

The mafia charges of billions of forints have melted

In most cases because of the absence of crime police have terminated the criminal procedures initiated after the change of administration in 2010. stipulations of international treaties. In several cases the courts were unable to find proved the accusation of the existence of some kind of mafia entity. Tax payers are to bear the 100 billion Hungarian Forints which is contested in the lawsuit connected to Sukoro investment.

Miklós Hagyó former socialist Deputy Mayor was shocked when he saw himself in a picture in a FIDESZ campaign poster on the streets. In those posters he is not illustrated in a good manner at all. Although he has been retired for 4 years and he has no intention to return to the public life. Our newspaper went to what happened with those members of the public against whose criminal procedures were initiated – not exempted from political overtones – during 2009 and 2010. Which is the present status of these procedures, is there any decision in force, the accused are released or sentenced?

INDEMNITY

We were looking for Miklós Hagyó to take a statement about how he has lived through the past years, what lesson was stabbed from his position of Deputy Mayor, what he would do in another way and what is the truth about the alleged millions carried in a Nokia box. However – via his legal representative – he said that he does not intend to say a word. “Once you’re bitten by a snake you fear the lizard as well.” – reflected András Kádár attorney-at-law why his defendant rejects to comment. It is known from Hagyó that he lives secluded in the embrace of his family. After his arrest his physical condition was broken down, he lost 37 kg weight. Now he has been waiting for the end of the criminal proceedings regarding the BKV case. Miklós Hagyó was arrested on 14th new Parliament, almost at the same time when his former socialist party co-‘s took their oath. Although he had indicated – via his legal representative – to the authority weeks ago that it is his full intention to cooperate with them, special police force knocked on his house’s door. He opened the door then the special force pushed him against the wall, handcuffed and led him in the crossfire of the media. The video had been shown for weeks by the public media. Meanwhile Hagyó’s condition was getting worse and worse in the correctional institution, he spent more than 4 months in a guard house where the available space was 3,52 square meter per person, furniture included. Then he spent 4 months in another place where the ratio was 4,7 square meter per person. His lawyers wanted him to be placed to home guard however they also referred to and emphasized a procedural anomaly: the authorities failed to determine the real reason of the arrest. Also the European Court of Human Rights did not find everything fine since the Court judged EUR 20,000 indemnity in favor of Miklós Hagyó in 2013. As we know Hungary has already paid this amount to him. 

The Fidesz had been curing – It could have been prevent the lot of penalty

Really it should have been only this, and then the Hungarian tax-payers shouldn’t have to pay the penalty damages because of the case transferences? It’s a public joke.

We can start this story from far away, but there is no sense for the enumeration. They will do this a few years later on the law schools, when probably the purpose which allusive the special criminal cases and which is supported by the 2/3 government will be a curriculum in there.


This made it happen that Tünde Handó, who was newly elected president of the National Judicial Office in the January of 2012, could appoint court which are equal in scope but it’s diverge than the general cognizance courts in politically tender cases, like the Sukoró’s plot change, the BKV case, or the trial of György Hunvald. The National Judiciary Office had the same charge from lot of sides, that they appoint these kinds of cases according a sin which countryside court has a stricter or more extenuate judgment, according to the earlier cases.

Let’s go to Kecskemét

The BKV case should had been trial in the Budapest Court, but Tünde Handó appointed it to the Kecskemét Court in the February of 2012, with the allude to the workloads of the other court. Against the decision the concerned people couldn’t make an appeal but they made a constitutional complaint and they asked for suspend of the process. All of this didn’t block the process, the appointed judge started the case in the Kecskemét Court. She questioned all the defendants and almost all of the witnesses. Roughly after 50 days of hearings December of 2013 came, when the Constitutional Court in their decision established that the laws about the case transferences were repealed by the Parliament and it’s come up against the Basic Law and against the international rules. 

We had a selfie with Hagyó on the Subway line 4!

Today Budapest is celebrating the Subway line 4 with a surprising party exemption. The whole media, competent and amateurs, oranges and red, passengers and BKV workers exalt the final form of the gigantic project.


And true what is true, it’s just enough to go down to one-one station to be completely floored for its own world and for the visions from the forms, shapes, devices and surfaces. I1m not going to even gush more about it, see it if you can.

We thought that we will ask a person on the presentation day, who was concerned in a more deeply way into the project just to cut the strip. Thus through his lawyer we contacted Miklós Hagyó former socialist deputy lord mayor, who – although didn’t cut a stripe today – was responsible for the investment during his office period and (since then it turned out that wrongly, without a reason, with fake cause) he was in pre-trial detention for it.


Miklós Hagyó in the beginning – kept himself for his muteness in the last 4 years – didn’t want to declare, however he called us back during the day to send a short message to everyone who was concerned with the building operations. He did it in this way without any verbal comment:




„From the people who created the idea to the person who pull the last screw, we, thousands of Hungarian people can be proud and we can thank to God that a big building operation like this came true uniquely in the world without any accident.”

They can start the Hagyó case from the beginning

There is still no owner for the notorious crimes, for the BKV scandal, for the 15 billion MVM misappropriations or for the Sukoró case. All of these were started in the countryside, but after the decision from the Constitutional Court about the case transferences, the cases had been stopped, because the courts in the countryside didn’t keep being competent anymore. 

The special cases can be stopped for maximum 3 months without consequences. By this time we already overstepped the 3 months round, so it seems like that now it doesn’t matter anymore that what court will be the competent, they have to start over all the special cases.

On 13th of June, 2012 the criminal suit of Miklós Hagyó, former deputy lord mayor and his fellows started on the Kecskemét Tribunal. Photo: Huszti István / Index

The arguments about the unclaimed notorious cases came so far for now that – it seems like – that it sure that they have to start them over, independently from that fact that in which court will the cases continue. These are those difficult, big cases what the transferred to countryside court because of the workload of the Budapest’s court: such as the BKV scandal which was transferred to Kecskemét, or the former MVM leader, István Kocsis’s 15 billion misappropriation case which started in Kaposvár. The status of these cases fell over when the Constitutional Court in the beginning of December said that the former law which was the basis of the case transferences was unconstitutional and it had been already repealed. First it said that the decision of the Constitutional Court doesn’t influence the pending cases because the Constitutional Court rejected the proposal when they asked the extermination of the dockets of the transferences. 

Civil Unity Forum (CÖF) – flyer for almost 40 million

The smear „clown” campaign against the leaders of the opposition united leaders can be even 100 million forint for the CÖF-CÖKA organization which organized the Peace Marches. For the first wave the country was infested with huge billboards, and on the last week they started to spread their 16 pages colored publication in 4 million copies. 

This is shows the opposition leaders in the clown composition which is well known from the billboards. The cost of the campaign is covert by the CÖF-CÖKA. As they still debtor with the cost of the „They ruined the country together” action in the end of 2012 which is focused on Gyurcsány and Bajnai.




Lot of people march with the CÖF, but the supporter is little  PICTURE: ISTVÁN BIELIK


Because in the name of the „civilian” László Csizmadia answered to our paper for the question about their present cost he answered that „we don’t declare in this cases because we said it more times that we are settling and we can be settle”, the Népszava tried to guess the costs for the campaign books. It made us harder that the Hungarian Post Office Ltd. didn’t want to tell us the cost of the spread.

On their website according to their official rate is net 4,5 forint to allocate to the target the advertisement publications, which would mean gross 22,86 million forint, but the Post Office reported that this price is only available for the ”public senders”. (According to our information the Post Office asks from the parties a near tariff as the public senders tariff, which based on the amount in 2010 it got 3,5-4 million „campaign message” to the houses – the editor.) If the state company wouldn’t give a preference for the CÖF-CÖKA which is campaigning for the Fidesz then it would cost 14-16 million forints. 

The Hagyó case had been replaced to Budapest – Népszava article

In the criminal procedure of the former deputy lord mayor and his 14 associates in the warrant from the Kecskemét Tribunal on December 6th, 2013, they established the lack of cognizance and they placed the case to the Budapest Tribunal – announced the Kecskemét Tribunal. 

As it known: Handó Tünde, the president of the National Judicial Office (the wife of József Szájer, who is a Fidesz representative of the European Parliament) in 2012 appointed the Kecskemét Tribunal for the continuance of the process. In the meantime the provisions of measures were eliminated by the Constitutional Court which was the basis of the appointment – with the references of collision with the basic law offence and international contracts.

BKV case: it was a normal contest

The BKV case trial continued with the former leader of the department of investment’s hearing today on the Kecskemét Tribunal. The witness was heard in the count of the C. C. Soft Ltd. accusation. On the hearing he made it obvious: this company made the best offer for the configuration of the passenger informant system.




The former leader of the department started to work at the transportation company in 1974, and in the lack of 10 days he was working there for 35 years, until May, 2008. He led the department of the investment from March, 1997 until August, 2007, when because of the realignment he became to the front of the developmental department. About the questioned period – summer of 2007 – he said that at that time the department controlled 170-180 investments. 

The accusations with the C.C. Soft are misty – reporting from the court room

Not one question came up in the people after the Thursday’s hearing of the BKV case. The technical terms like interface XM 25, data link, guards just fluttered. The court’s and the reader’s situation is not easy. We will try to clear this up, howsoever the situation with the I/14 count seems like misty.





Because of course what just happened in a ”shallow and rough-and-ready” way?

There is a several billion forint project, in it’s maiden name, the whole reconstruction of the Szentendre’s local train, which is proceed in it’s own way, in practice it had to be ready for the fall of 2007. However the modernization of the passenger informant system is dropped out of it, which of course should be do in lightening steps, after all the fall is coming, the school season is coming.

BKV case: absurd mix-up in the court room – Stop.hu article

On the Kecskemét Tribunal they would prove the condition of the local train’s passenger informant system in 2008 with photos which were taken in 2011. From this it became a comical mix-up, but they still couldn’t prove the accusation.




On the Thursday’s hearing on the carpet it was again the accusations of the contracts with the C. C. Soft. The witnesses who were heard were the responsible people in the department of the investment of the local train’s passenger informant system. One of them, F. P. as he said, he feels that in the October of 2007 at the explosion of the media scandal he became in the position like this because he was inexperienced and manageable. He stated that for November, 2007 the testing could start and however a lot of mistakes were revealed, the workers of the C. C. Soft did everything for the insurance of the system’s working. The witness stated in his investigation testimony that Zsolt Balogh, that time deputy CEO of the BKV, took in the decision power. With this he would have support the concept of the accusation but for the questions of the defense he said that from the defendants, no one ordered him to any outlawry or committal of an abuse. Attila Antal, the former CEO of the BKV, in his observation he noted that if F. P. wouldn’t have signed the achievement certification which are in the accusation then they couldn’t paid the C. C. Soft, and then the project would have been stopped which the witness was responsible for. 

BKV case: the local train’s display is on the carpet

On the yesterday’s hearing of the BKV the counts with the C. C. Soft were on the carpet. The court heard two witnesses who were the responsible people of the project in the company’s department of investments in 2007 when the company established the passenger informant system of the Szentendre’s local train. 

For the end of the day it revealed: during their activity they had no sign to the management of the transportation company that would include that the project wouldn’t fulfill.

The official people who works in the BKV case can get 10 years

The bill submitted by MSZP not long ago would punish official people with the possibility of 10 years imprisonment – that way also the prosecutors and the investigators working on the BKV case – who produce made-up evidences or if they participate in this action with malfeasant tools.





The defendants and witnesses involved in the BKV case during the hearing reported one after the other that they’ve made their previous testimonies which were incriminatory to others under humiliating circumstances, directionally, coercion interrogations as a result of the interrogating investigators’ and policemen’s threats.

Even Zsolt Balogh, the case’s key witness and at the same time defendant also admitted that the reason behind his incriminatory statements (for example about the Nokia box) during the election campaign was that he wanted to meet the expectations and to avoid jail. “I’m not a hero, I didn’t want anything else just to go home” – he confessed before the court.

Coercions, magisterial impositions in the Hagyó-case - SUMMARY

Gábor Tóth police superintendent during the whole investigation of the BKV case stated confidently about the process. He undertook it with name that they have the investigation in their hand and he was talking about new evidences and about conclusions what they got from the investigation testimonies.




Contrarily the testimonies which were heard in the case’s trial in Kecskemét from the defendants and from the witnesses sharply confronted with the testimonies of the concerned in the investigation period. From the main defendants and from the witnesses most of them unsaid their investigation testimonies and in the court they did a new testimony. They said about their earlier, incriminatory testimonies against others that they only did it because of police threat, in the exchange of their lives, in humiliation circumstances, it was directional and under coercion.

Ernő Mesterházy, the former advisor of Gábor Demszky on the court he offended the investigators, he called his brought to justice a recklessly violator process. He indicated that he is standing uncomprehendingly in front of the process against him which, according to him „conception, recklessly violator and it’s obligate to serve a political, human, and financial disable”. Moreover he said that according to the record the questioning was for almost 11 hours but the result was only two pages long, the investigation authorities humiliated him and tried to convince him to say an incriminatory testimony against Miklós Hagyó and if he does it than they will let him go from detention.

Capacity and competence – we report from the court room

The consulting contracts signed by AAM Ltd were discussed again on Tuesday at the BKV case’s hearing.

The last Tuesday hearing was an interesting day in the history of the „strudel dough length” BKV case. The honorable court discussed the count regarding the AAM Ltd’s consulting contracts, obviously not for the first time. Given that more witnesses have already spoken regarding these contracts, but now the company’s onetime CEO was standing before the court.

And he didn’t hold himself back.




For the judge’s question he already stated it in his first sentence that he doesn’t understand how the company lead by him got into this case. In his person he is feeling himself offended that regarding the AAM Ltd’s activities because of the politics and the media, the company’s professional reputation has been damaged. This thought followed through the witness’s testimony.