The search and seizure of servers at the office of Hungary’s opposition Fidesz party are being conducted as part of an anti-corruption investigation into the activities of the National Cultural Fund, the Bacs-Kiskun county prosecutor’s spokeswoman, Marianna Bodo, said on Tuesday.
Fidesz, led by former Prime Minister Viktor Orban, stated on Tuesday that investigators had arrived at its office without prior notice to seize communication devices and databases.
“The Bacs-Kiskun County Prosecutor’s Office is conducting an investigation into the misuse of property and other alleged crimes related to the National Cultural Fund . As part of this investigation … investigative actions, including searches and seizures, have been carried out,” Bodo told the Magyar Nemzet newspaper.
The investigation into the fund’s activities began in May and concerns possible irregularities in the allocation of 1,079 grants totaling more than 17 billion forints ($53.5 million). In late June, six former and current officials and employees of institutions linked to the distribution of grants were arrested.