Ruszin-Szendi said in a video on Facebook that he would be filing a criminal complaint against an unknown perpetrator on suspicion of breach of trust.

He said that investigations carried out at the ministry had revealed that procurements during the previous leadership included personal protection soldiers hired for private trips costing tens of millions, hunting insurance policies, a luxury car and the consultancy contract with the British company.

"It is not moth-eaten uniforms but skeletons that are now falling out of the ministry of defence’s cupboards. And it seems there are plenty of them," he added.

The previous Minister of Defence Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky "believed he was entitled to personal security even on private trips abroad", and this cost taxpayers more than 32 million forints, Ruszin-Szendi said. The previous administration spent 2,000 British pounds and around 5,300 euros on this, he added.

The investigation had also revealed two hunting trips secured by soldiers, one costing 30 million forints and the other 12 million forints, he said. In addition to soldiers providing direct protection for the then minister, a further 10-12 personnel were involved in securing the hunts, he added.

Ruszin-Szendi said that a contract for the purchase of German military equipment also involved sending soldiers to German training centres to learn not only how to operate the equipment but also combat procedures in a broader sense.

The previous defence leadership commissioned a British company, within the framework of a consultancy agreement, to draw up regulations governing the use of this equipment, to conduct leadership training, and to design uniforms "based on the British model", he added.

He said that this contract of approximately 30 million British pounds was signed without any competitive tendering process.

The previous defence leadership rented a high-value luxury car through a company for 600,000 to 800,000 forints a month, Ruszin-Szendi said, adding that it is believed that this vehicle had previously been the former defence minister’s own car. The vehicle cost taxpayers a total of 36 million forints, he said.

Opposition Fidesz said in response that procurement decisions made by Szalay-Bobrovniczky were "in every case justified, appropriate and lawful".

Fidesz press officer Bertalan Havasi rejected in a statement the "political attacks" by the "disgraced chief of staff" against Hungary’s former minister of defence.

"The introduction of the new military uniform did not take place due to the change of government. Every government has advisers. Under the law, personal security extends to the private engagements of the person under protection. And as for living in luxury, Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi -- who had a villa worth many billions built using public funds -- is certainly in no position to lecture anyone," Havasi added.
 

Fidesz: Military advisory contract with British firm worth under HUF 8 bn

An advisory contract concluded with a British company by the previous leadership of the defence ministry was worth less than 8 billion forints (EUR 21.9m), Bertalan Havasi, opposition Fidesz's press chief, told MTI.

On 23 September,Defence Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said that the Hungarian army had purchased German military equipment used by Hungarian soldiers, with the contract including sending troops to German training centres to learn not only how to operate the technology but also broader combat procedures. He said the previous defence leadership had commissioned a British company to draw up regulations on the use of these equipment, conduct leadership training, and design uniforms. He added that all this cost 12 billion forints without any public procurement tender.

Responding to the minister on Friday, Havasi said the reality was that decisions made by the defence ministry's former leadership had in all cases been aimed at providing Hungarian soldiers with the highest possible level of preparation.

The Lynx, he said, is a next-generation combat vehicle of which Hungary was the first buyer, and the Hungarian Armed Forces were the first NATO military to put it into service. Consequently, no army previously had long-term operational and battlefield experience with this specific vehicle type.

The British company's task, Havasi added, had not been to teach the technical maintenance of the Lynx, but to build direct, real operational and NATO experience into the preparation of the Hungarian Armed Forces, with high-ranking soldiers with significant NATO command and operational experience taking part in the work.

Havasi said the assignment also extended to command and tactical training, the development of combat procedures, and participation in preparing the tactical manual.

He said that contrary to the published figure of 12 billion forints, the contract’s value had not reached 8 billion forints.


Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881.

MTI photo 

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