Magyar Nemzet hails David Cameron as an example and calls on Fidesz to come clean on offshore companies, while the pro government media suspect shady intentions behind the Panama Papers. READ MORE
Following two former politicians, a former prominent banker has also been named as one of the “Panamanian offshore knights.” An independent conservative pundit blames both left and right for talking the talk but not walking the walk on those who dodge tax with offshore accounts. READ MORE
As the names of two former MPs (one Socialist and one Fidesz) have surfaced in the Panama Papers, Népszabadság suspects that murky off-shore deals are common practice in Hungary’s leading circles, while 444 describes one case in detail. READ MORE
As the Constitutional Court blocks the amended National Bank Act, a left-wing and a conservative analyst accuse the government of large scale corruption. A pro-government columnist, on the other hand, claims that the verdict shows that the rule of law is alive and well in Hungary. READ MORE
Commenting on Transparency International’s recent Corruption Perception Index and the selling of state-owned farmland, both a left-wing and a conservative columnist accuse the government of corruption. READ MORE
As the former Deputy Mayor of Budapest gets a suspended prison sentence, commentators both on Left and Right ponder the wider political implications of the court ruling. READ MORE
As Parliament amends the law on public procurement tenders and former PM Gyurcsány’s company wins an EU assignment, columnists fling accusations of corruption at Right and Left. READ MORE
A conservative columnist contends that although former MSZP Vice President Gábor Simon, currently under investigation for undeclared assets, may avoid imprisonment, voters will not acquit the Socialists of corruption charges. READ MORE
A left-wing commentator dismisses the interpretation that Jobbik’s success in Tapolca was an indication of the radicalisation of Hungarian voters. In unison with other left-wing and conservative columnists, he also calls on the Left to abandon liberal ideology for a social democratic vision in order to challenge Jobbik.
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Analysts are urging measures to bolster supervision over financial institutions after the collapse of Quaestor, Hungary’s biggest brokerage house, the third such case in just over a week. They fear that citizens will lose their already waning confidence in banks, which would severely impair the economy. READ MORE