Hungarian construction groups face scrutiny over alleged overpricing

An analysis of consolidated reports from five major construction groups close to the NER suggests that between 2010 and 2025, these companies generated a combined revenue of over 10.4 trillion forints. The study indicates that approximately 900 to 1,000 billion forints in profit may have resulted from overpricing or the artificial restriction of competition.

The investigated groups, involving interests of Lőrinc Mészáros, László Szíjj, István Garancsi, Attila Balázs, and Attila Paár, achieved a combined taxed profit of 1,339.7 billion forints. Their average profit margin was 12.8 percent, significantly higher than the 2 to 5 percent margins typically seen in similar construction firms with less political connectivity. Lőrinc Mészáros’s companies showed the highest performance, with a 17.6 percent profit margin on 3,289.9 billion forints of revenue.