He rejected the suggestion that the expected costs have soared, saying that building such an office in Budapest is not cheap.

The former Carmelite convent in the Castle is being converted into an office for the Prime Minister.

The Ft 4 billion is being spent on the building, not on one room, Lázár added.

Index reports that the PMO will buy five paintings worth Ft 360 million from Tímea Kalmár, the wife of the founder of the Kovács Gábor Art Foundation, according to the public procurement gazette Közbeszerzési Értesítõ.

The PMO says it had the paintings appraised by three independent experts and a net sum of Ft 282 million was set. The PMO did not release the names of the experts.

Source: Hungary Around the Clock

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