See Euronews video here

Hungary’s state prosecutor had turned to the president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, to ask that Kovács’s immunity be lifted. That would require a vote and such a vote would, according to Schulz’s office, take place only after the European Parliamentary elections this Sunday and if Kovács is elected to the European Parliament again, as the Wall Street Journal reported. His prospects are decent as he is number three on Jobbik’s EP list. The party currently has three seats in the European Parliament.

The WSJ story has other details about the case including comments from some Hungarian MPs who participated in the classified hearing on the case in the National Security Committee of the Hungarian Parliament. Apart from Kovács’s own party, Jobbik, the MPs called the evidence convincing. “It has become evident that Béla Kovács held relations with the Russian secret services in an organized and conspirative way,” said Fidesz MP Szilárd Németh.

Mr. Kovács’s good business and political relations in Russia do not come as news to those who watch Hungarian politics closely. Rumors of Jobbik’s close association with Russia have been out there for years. Kovács, who was an obscure figure before entering politics in 2006 as a financial donor to Jobbik and then enjoyed a rapid rise in the party, replacing a senior politician on the party’s EP list. He is frequently referred to as the “mysterious businessman” with Russian ties by Origo, one of Hungary’s leading news portals.

Many details are still coming out, but reports suggest that the request of the Hungarian prosecutor’s office is a result of cooperation between the Hungarian secret service and other European secret services, who have been investigating Kovács for some time. At the time of writing, Jobbik has not pulled Kovacs’s name from the ballot list and the party’s spokesperson has reported that Kovács has fallen ill and is now in hospital, adding that the reason for the charges is that half of the Fidesz parliamentary group is working for the CIA or Mossad.

By Ferenc Kumin

Source: A Blog About Hungary

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