Jobbik MEPs Investigated By European Anti-Fraud Office

  • 2 Apr 2015 9:00 AM
Jobbik MEPs Investigated By European Anti-Fraud Office
The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) has launched an investigation against radical nationalist Jobbik MEP Béla Kovács and former MEP Csanád Szegedi on suspicion of abuse of funds and fraud, the news portal Origo reported. OLAF suspects that the MEPs abused funds available for employing interns and assistants. They had access to a monthly 21,000 euros for that purpose, Origo said.

The Origo report suggested that Kovács had employed a former parliamentary assistant on paper only and Szegedi similarly employed two people, including current Jobbik deputy leader Előd Novák. It is also suspected that the MEPs abused the expense allocation available to cater for 108 visitors a year.

Origo said that such visitors, including students from Transylvania and western Ukraine, were placed in low-cost accommodation, yet the price of high-quality accommodation was claimed as expense. Szegedi described the allegations as unfounded.

Kovács told Origo that OLAF had not contacted him about an investigation against him. Jobbik spokesman Ádám Mirkóczki said his party was not aware of an OLAF investigation and insisted that he was not aware of any infringement by Kovács or any other MEPs of his party.

Source www.hungarymatters.hu

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