In Parliament on Monday, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán presented a decision by the National Security Council. He said that investigative teams will be formed within the Police and the National Tax Authority (NAV), and their task will be to individually analyse the Hungarian strands in the “Panama Papers” case which have emerged from international sources.

The Prime Minister said that the Prosecutor’s Office will also take part in the process. Investigations are already in progress, and there will also be further ones. Mr. Orbán said that he believes these investigations will deliver results, especially if international investigative bodies are prepared to cooperate. He added that in the case of the opposition MSZP’s vice president, for example, the Austrian authorities are not willing to provide information on how funds were transferred to Austrian accounts.

He stressed that the Hungarian authorities will not give up – even in the absence of international cooperation.

The Prime Minister rejected an accusation from an opposition Member of Parliament, who said that the Cabinet is only talking about the issue, but is not acting on it. Mr. Orbán emphasised that the Government had already requested the individual investigation of some 44,000 companies in relation to the use of EU funds, requiring declarations that real owners are behind the beneficiaries.

He also said that a statement by the British prosecution service indicates that, in addition to the question of offshore assets, there is an issue related to Alstom metro carriages. This is similarly important to Hungary. The investigative team must investigate these matters and disclose all the facts, the Prime Minister stressed.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)