Magyar News, 2004. szeptember-2005. augusztus (15. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

2005-03-01 / 7. szám

Don't Understand. Don't Know.

A photo caricature of P.M. Gyurcsány showing him on the sportfield holding a handful of money, also pointing back at a wheel barrel full of money. This is the way money grows - well for some people.

Reading the Magyar Nemzet about news in Hungary, one comes across mind blowing information. Naturally we find out matters that really blow our minds. It isn’t typical Hungarian, we see these in many governments around the world. When it becomes a mathematical nonesence in Hungary it hurts. The pain makes us say a few words about it.

There are laws, old ones and probably new ones that protect the wellbeing of people in a community. This time it is about property designated for sporting services. The Ipari Szövetkezetek Sportalapítványa ( Sport Endowment of Industrial Coops) in 1997 received the property free. It was registered so no government may confiscate it, or place tax on it. Property like this may be purchased on a lower monetary scale then other properties. Also the purchaser for fifteen years has to maintain it for sports and nothing else.

Last year the property was divided into a few parts. A over ten thousand square yards area were offered for sale - as a land used only for sports. The transaction

took place. But - but here is the trick. As usual the cost of a land for sports is cheap, it is on a lower price level. The Industrial Coop sold this portion for 195 million Forints.

The buyer requested that the restrictions should be lifted and taken out of the contract.

With this, the cheap land could be used for anything.

This process could only be done by the member of the government, the Minister who is in charge of children, youth and the sports. This Minister at that time was Ferenc Gyurcsány. This happened as one of his last case as a Minister, just a very few days before becoming Prime Minister of Hungary. Pretty tight timing!!!!!

Well the story doesn’t end here. In a very short time the property was listed with a mortgage attached to it worth One Billion Forints. Again, here are the numbers; sold for 195,000,000 and the new value is 1,000,000,000 Forint. I guess we call it a fast Buck!!!

The P.M. always underlined that the new government is made up by successful people.They should have said individuals .We would like to see the Hungarian people being successful. J.F.B.

We are back to numbers that don’t add up, or multiply, or deduct, they only keep Einstein spinning in his grave. In 1990 around the time when the Soviets were pulling out of Hungary, the Soviet owed

1.7 billion dollars to Hungary. Lot of money! In December 2002, then Prime Minister Medgyessy forgave Russia 62 million dollars. By now the balance is 467 million dollars. Russia will only pay if the 62 million dollars are taken off, making it 405 million dollars. The National Investigating Office said that they are up against the wall, hard, tough wall. One thing became suspicious, and that is that the companies somehow involved in these transactions are close to the political party, the MSP, now governing. They were also involved in the “oil-gate” scandal.

The Nemzeti Nyomozó Iroda (MNI) is investigating the intertwining case of the $62 million. It seems that the investigation is banging on the unpenetrable walls. The companies involved in this scandalous situation are very slow with the data. The original extension expires in January. The NNI applied for a new extension till April.

There are names mentioned in the Page 6

investigation. There is a very clear connection between the companies and the ruling political party. The treasurer of the Party, László Mate is involved in the Lorry Kft., and is in debt with $2.7 million plus the interest. The Ter & Forma Rt. joined together with the Gaz Impex are in the red with $30 million unmistakably connected to György Benza who is financing a $200 million construction work in Russia.

Then we find the Petroltank Rt. owing $3.3 million to the state, and is connected to Otto Hujber, formerly was the business department of the MSP. Then associates of László Mate, as András Szász under Bertinus Kft. on an importing transaction left a $4.8 million debt

To be honest, I really can’t figure out how these could happen and besides collecting the money, how are they going to find the fuzzy trail of the $62 million that was spread around somehow. But looking at the figures, there are a lot more millions that keep adding up.

Mind blowing. Good thing that I don’t have to get my abacus out of the closet. Thanks for your understanding.

J.F.B.

In Budapest the Heroes Square is in real danger. The monument of Hungarian history with museums on Both sides is a prideof the Hungarian people.

Now with private investors and the help of government they are planning to tear up the whole square, dig deep and establish restaurants, galleries, stores and who knows what else.

Such a sacrilige should bring the decent Hungarian people’s blood to the boiling point.

UP AGAINST THE WALL