Sovereignty Protection Office faces investigation over 3.67 billion forint spending

The Hungarian Prime Minister's Office has filed a report against an unknown perpetrator regarding the suspected misappropriation of funds by the Sovereignty Protection Office (SZH). Investigations revealed that over the past two and a half years, the agency spent approximately 3.67 billion forints on communication and event organization tasks.

These expenditures, which represent more than a quarter of the agency's total budget, were directed to a consortium consisting of Lounge Design Kft. and New Land Media Kft., entities linked to Gyula Balásy. The Prime Minister's Office noted that the SZH has no legal mandate for general communication, advertising, or image-building campaigns; its statutory duties are limited to organizing professional conferences and publishing professional journals.

Specific high-cost items identified include: - 163.4 million forints for a six-part documentary series scheduled for 2025. - 110 million forints for a drone show held on March 15. - 61.3 million forints to organize 15 debates, including 19.7 million for catering.

The government is investigating how these funds were utilized given the agency's specific legal functions.