Fidesz members of the subcommittee want to ask Szilvásy whether he thought it was normal that a secret-service official had asked a man with links to the criminal world to discredit right-of-centre politicians, Kocsis said.

The former minister of the government of Socialist premier Ferenc Gyurcsány will also be asked if he had any information about the Partik-Laborc meetings and why he had not launched an inquiry into them at the time, Kocsis added. It is unclear whether the meetings were operative or politically instigated, he added.

In April, the constitutional office removed the classified status of recordings of two meetings between Portik and Laborc. According to the transcript, in 2008 Laborc wanted to disclose confidential information which could hurt the interests of conservative politicians. Portik was afraid that the 2010 elections would be lost by the left and was willing to oblige, the transcript shows.

Head of the fact-finding subcommittee Lajos Mile, of the opposition LMP, said after the meeting that Szilvásy’s hearing lasted nearly three hours. He described it as “a comprehensive and thorough discussion.”

He expressed optimism that a report to be prepared on the basis of the hearing would disperse all suspicions and assumptions, and it would be possible to identify political responsibilities, if any, in the case.

Szilvásy told the press that he had answered all the questions and had provided proof that “accusations about the existence of a left-wing mafia and political allusions” were completely baseless.

Source www.hungarymatters.hu

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