Prime Minister Viktor Orban has called for the “full elimination of the Soros network” and stated that sanctions must be imposed against anyone who accepts foreign funds with the aim of influencing Hungarian politics.
In a regular interview with state media on February 7, the prime minister claimed that civil organisations and NGOs have received money from “the Soros foundations, the US government and Brussels” to strengthen opposition parties and topple the government.
Orban’s call to crack down on independent NGOs and media coincided with the release of a 56-minute documentary by Direkt 36, focusing on the enrichment of the Orban family, particularly his son-in-law, Istvan Tiborcz, who has amassed hundreds of billions of forints in wealth since marrying the prime minister’s daughter, Rahel, in 2013.
In a pre-emptive move to discredit Direkt36 before the release, Fidesz faction leader Mate Kocsis came up with a rather far-fetched accusation that Kyiv was financing efforts to undermine the reputation of Viktor Orban and had allocated funds to independent Hungarian media outlets.
Kocsis issued his statement after a meeting of Parliament’s national security committee on Thursday, February 6, where Hungarian security services presented alleged evidence of Ukrainian involvement. Analysts doubt the veracity of the report and pointed out that as a member of the committee, Kocsis had no right to disclose any information at all.
The documentary’s narrative traces how the 38-year-old Tiborcz, a relatively unknown figure before joining the family, became one of Hungary’s richest individuals through a series of lucrative business ventures, many of which were allegedly facilitated by state contracts, EU funds and favourable legislation.
The documentary delves into the earlier alliance between Viktor Orban and his former Fidesz treasurer, Lajos Simicska, a key figure in building Fidesz’s economic power from the start.