Hungarian public media reports 2.1 billion forint asset discrepancy

The interim leadership of Hungarian public media has filed a report following the discovery of serious discrepancies in the asset registry and inventory of MTVA. According to Duna Médiaszolgáltató Nonprofit Zrt., a 2025 inventory audit revealed that 9,738 items, with a total original gross value of 2.1 billion forints, could not be located and were subsequently removed from the records.

The audit uncovered systemic issues spanning several years. Investigators found that more than half of the recorded assets were not physically counted, and approximately 17,000 items were found in locations different from those listed in the registry. Additionally, over 8,000 items were assigned to non-existent organizational units or temporary locations.

Specific technical equipment, including studio structures, rail systems, and lighting, were reportedly missing from the inventory entirely. The investigation also noted that overly general descriptions, such as ‘chair’ or ‘lamp,’ made certain items impossible to identify accurately. The audit follows a full organizational and professional review initiated in July.