The Magical Nokia-box - part 23.

What are the expected consequences of the court decision?

I connection with the court decision considered to be “too lenient” the Fidesz wanted to call the judicature to account, however the high ranking representatives of the judicial power – involving Tünde Handó – have protested against it. The events took a dramatic turn when more judges making statements anonymously admitted that no independent judiciary exists in Hungary and the judges are exposed to the influence of their superiors. Definitely, this explains a lot in connection with the highly questionable decisions made in the BKV-case in the investigatory phase.

How did the MSZP turning their back on Hagyó react to the court decision?

After the court acquitted Hagyó of the most serious charges, the MSZP took the former socialist Deputy Lord Mayor under their protection. Better late than never, right? Well, since the story broke this was the first time that the socialist stood by their ex co-member having been dragged through the mire. Gergely Bárándy, the socialist vice-President of the legislative board stated that the charges were unfounded, they were lies. There was no Nokia-box, there was no corruption and there were no bribes. He also mentioned it more times that the Fidesz tries to increase their support by initiating show trials and unfortunately, they can always find people at the Prosecutor’s Office who are happily willing to provide assistance to the Fidesz with its methods associated with the “darkest dictatorships”. Gyurcsány referred to the Nokia-box as a smart marketing trick in an ATV program.

The Fidesz is excited, the party is attacking the judges - hvg.hu

It got a rise out of the Fidesz that there is no culprit in the red mud disaster and only suspended sentence was passed on Miklós Hagyó. According to the Fidesz the judicial independence is nothing more than liberalism.

Szilárd Németh, Fidesz-related member of the parliament announced that the party initiates discussion in the legal committee of the Parliament on the jurisdiction in relation to the decisions made by the responsible court in the Hagyó-case and in the case of the red mud disaster.

MSZP: The Fidesz feeds the media with show trials - nepszava.hu

According to the MSZP the Fidesz is trying to increase their support by initiating show proceedings and they can find people at the Prosecutor’s Office who are happily willing to provide assistance to the Fidesz with their methods associated with the “darkest dictatorships”.

Gergely Bárándy, vice-president of the socialist legislative board of the Parliament stated: during the criminal procedure brought against Miklós Hagyó, former socialist Deputy Lord Mayor, and his co-defendants, it turned out that the charges were groundless lies. There was no Nokia-box, there were neither bribes nor corruption. Those who have provided assistance with the show trial were rewarded: for example the prosecutor bringing charges against Miklós Hagyó became István Tarlós’s, Lord Mayor’s chief advisor.

The Magical Nokia-box - part 20.

Why is the Nokia-box still talked about?

It seems to be that a part of the leading politicians ignore the fact that Balogh unsaid his testimony. The parties are still referring to the Nokia-box in front of the public. They must have some interest in doing so, since they are continuously trying to put either each other or the MSZP in an awkward position with it.

Did they attempt to raise the issue again closer to the campaign period?

As they did it before in 2010 during the parliamentary elections period and later the municipal elections period they raised the issue of the nokia box during the campaign period of the elections in 2014. The timing was planned well in advance: at the beginning of 2012 at the press conference following the reassignment of the suit to Kecskemét it was announced that the firs-instance verdict will be delivered in the peak of the campaign period, 2014.

The Magical Nokia-box - part 18.

Is the public media biased towards the BKV-case?

The government of Fidesz passed the new press and media act. In the Media Council established under the new act there is no a single member who could be supposed to be in favour of the independent press. Although, it is the main responsibility of the MTI to provide the press with the latest and objective news, in the communication having been provided by them in relation to the BKV-case important bits of information have been lost. In most of their reports the focus is more on the details of the older testimonies which have already been unsaid in most of the cases. At many points they have penned briefly and ambiguously, furthermore their titles have not reflected accurately the events took place during the trials.

Has the public media given up being independent?

The new press and media act issued by the government of Fidesz and the omnipotent Media Council elected for 9 years provide this impression. Since its being passed the act has been heavily and justifiably criticised both at a nationwide and an international level. Negative opinions have been expressed worldwide on the current status of the Hungarian democracy and “freedom” of the Hungarian media by the leading newspapers, diplomats and political organizations.

If it is up to the prosecutor, Hagyó will be never released

According to the prosecution authority in case of eight accused the charge of continuous breach of fiduciary duty through organized crime is factual therefore the prosecutor requested for their heavy prison sentence and the exclusion of their release on parole in his prosecutor speech.

In case of Miklós Hagyó, Attila Antal, Zsolt Balogh and Miklós Regőczi the fact that the sentence for engagement in organized crime was raised from 20 to 25 years has not only theoretical significance – said Prosecutor János Homonnai representing the Prosecution - when at the end of his prosecutor speech he itemized the charges against each accused and the sentences he is requesting for them after closing the prosecution’s case-in-chief at first instance. According to his opinion in case of Miklós Hagyó, Ernő Mesterházy, Attila Antal, Zsolt Balogh, Miklós R., Ottó L., Éva M.-H. and Miklós H dr. the charge of engagement in organized crime – threatening the accused with double sentence – and the act of causing continuous and extraordinary material loss are well-based.

Most of the accused are charged with aggravated breach of fiduciary duty – some of them are charged as offenders, some of them are charged as instigators and others as abettors. Besides, Miklós Hagyó is charged with two counts of abuse of authority and two counts of bribery committed as an executive official. Besides breach of fiduciary duty, Attila Antal, Zsolt Balogh and Miklós R. are charged with more counts of falsification of private documents, as well. The rest of the accused are also charged with breach of fiduciary duty and falsification of private documents without the fact of engagement in organized crime.

The Magical Nokia-box - part 12

Did the Nokia-box case influence the municipality elections?

Of course, it did – Hagyó was suspected of the Nokia-boxes five week before the municipality elections. This was also the time when the records on the confrontation leaked out, which brought back the same public mood as before parliamentary elections. In fall – just like previously in spring before the parliamentary elections - the Nokia-box became a campaign topic again. Beginning a new wave of their attacks they used the BKV-severance pays as weapons. Later more socialist politicians were charged. The then mainly liberal and socialist Budapest failed. Although it has been revealed that the Nokia-box charges are false, the truth cannot change the results of the elections.

When and how did the record on Balogh and Hagyó’s confrontation leak out?

Again the timing of the right wing was careful and precise. The record on the police confrontation came to light during the campaign period of the elections. And although it is obvious it should be pointed out that the Magyar Nemzet did publish it under the following title “I live in fear of death by you, Miklós!”. Of course, the fact that the BKV-case was picked up again might have influenced the municipality elections as it might have done the parliamentary elections.

The Magical Nokia-box - part 4

Who wins with the scandal?

The case came in handy to FIDESZ before the elections. They turned almost immediately to the Attorney General, 6 days after the scandal burst out. Everyone who may be familiar with the Hungarian political situation knew that BKV-case was very important with regard to the 2010 national elections. Hagyó resigned from BKV supervisory board in August, 2009. MSZP announced that they trust in the innocence of the Deputy Mayor but on the contrary they asked Hagyó in February, 2010 - in the middle of the election campaign - to resign from every title he had.

 If MSZP trust in Hagyó’s innocence, why did they have him resigned?

Knowing the position fights inside MSZP it is not surprising that the national management did everything possible to shrivel Hagyó from the fourth place of the regional list. They were insinuating and leaking in the press however they claimed Hagyó to resign only when it was published that two BKV managers took incriminating testimony against him.

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!

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 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.

"There was no precedent for a black ops campaign against somebody - 2010 february"

"There was no precedent for a black ops campaign against somebody - 2010 february"



(Photo Source: www.pecsistop.hu)

Here you can find another video about Miklós Hagyó. It's about the time when he was charged and because of the selections he had to resign from his district and from his Budapest mandate in the interest of the campaign.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0QhHtd6Mj8

Studies

Here we have included academic recognition which the case has received.

Kecskemét Tribunal

Here we have included academic recognition which the case has received.

Period of Investigation

Here you can find information related to the unofficial accusations against Miklós Hagyó in the trial of the 15 associates of the Budapest Transit Company (BKV).




Most of the charges against Hagyó in the BKV trial originated from public statements made by Zsolt Balogh, who served as an interim CEO of the public transportation company.

State Audit Office of Hungary

Here you can find documents directly and indirectly related to the audit of Hagyó Miklós' deputy mayoral office and administration. The audit was conducted by the SAOH while Hagyó was in pretrial detention.




Legal Summary of criminal procedure initiated upon the denunciation of the State Audit Office against Miklós Hagyó.

The Unacceptability of Miklós Hagyó's Pretrial Detention

This is a very informative piece detailing the battle between Hagyó, usually acting through his lawyer,and the Hungarian judicial system. 

This document, like many others, has been translated in an effort to communicate Hagyó’s story to the world outside of Hungary. If issues of comprehension arise while reading this, please contact us at info@hagyomiklos.com




Miklós Hagyó's detention issue is quite simple. After reviewing the available documents here, anyone can decide - at least imposed on itself - whether the prior arrest of Miklós Hagyó is consistent with the Hungarian laws or even with basic common sense of ordinary logic.

The Official Acquittal: The Summary of the Legal Proceeding against Miklós Hagyó and Others in Relation to the Alleged Forgery of Private Documents

Re’sume’ of the legal proceeding against Miklós Hagyó and others because of forgery of Private Document 

2012th on January 16 Miklós Hagyó, his common law wife and his lawyer, Dr. Viktor Géza Szűcs were cleared of a charge of forgery-private documents by the court of first instance. On the ground of the published media reports probably was difficult to follow exactly what the case is about, therefore we tried to easily summarize with the facts of the accusation and clearing, we analyzed the law background of the case, and finally we discussed the solicitous in connection with prosecutor's procedure.




What exactly happened?

The MSZP Local Governments, host children from Transylvania

So far, more than 200 children received accommodations in Hungary. Local socialist governments shall give accommodation to flood stricken families’ children in the near future. The Party has offered a $ 1 million donation to the Hungarian Red Cross to aid the flood-stricken inhabitants of the municipalities.

Miklós Hagyó announced that the children from Székelyudvarhely, Galambfalva, Farkaslak, Siménfalva, Korond, Bikafalva, and Bögöz, will be coming to Hungary.




Party executive Istvan Hiller, related that if the rainfall in Transylvania continued, the Socialist Government would call upon the assistance of the Hungarian Red Cross and ask them to promote the popularity of their bank account for donation purposes.

RELIEF IN THE FLOOD-STRICKEN TOWNS IN ROMANIA

Left-wing appeal led to the collection of two loads of relief supplies collected the MSZP charitable aid section and a load departed from Nyárlőrincről on Friday to flood-stricken Romanian towns.