Even the 2.5 billion forints that Vajna has used as his own financing in the transaction “probably comes from Hungarian taxpayer money”, Schiffer said. Through his gambling business Vajna has received 3 billion forints as a “gift” from “his friends governing the country”, he added.

Schiffer said when fellow LMP lawmaker Erzsébet Schmuck recently asked the foreign minister “for how long will Eximbank function as a source of financing to oligarchs close to the government”, the ministry responded that Eximbank had not provided a state-subsidised loan in the transaction.

The ministry also said that in line with a parliamentary decision, Eximbank was allowed to provide financing to businesses based in Hungary for investments that boost their international competitiveness. Schiffer said that it was unclear what export activities Vajna’s company could be involved in.

János Lázár, head of the government office, said Eximbank had furnished Vajna’s company with a loan “on market conditions” without any state subsidy.

Radical nationalist Jobbik also said that it expects an explanation on Eximbank’s transfer of a subsidised loan to Vajna’s company. Deputy party leader Előd Novák said that such a loan had nothing to do with Eximbank’s tasks, which is to boost exports, and with the move the bank was “serving Fidesz’s party interests”.

He described Vajna as Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s “two-armed bandit” who is not satisfied with annual 3 billion forints in profit from his casinos and now takes out a loan from a state-owned bank to buy TV2.

Eximbank said in reaction to the reports that it had not provided a subsidised loan to purchase TV2. The bank insisted that their lending decisions are not influenced by “the name of the applicant” nor “the opinion of political parties or economic groups”.

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