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Opposition parties demand to know more about alleged US entry ban for officials
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Budapest, October 17 (MTI) – The opposition E-PM on Friday demanded a public inquiry to identify Hungarian citizens affected by a US entry ban linked to their alleged involvement in corruption while the opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) called for an extraordinary parliamentary session on the issue. The opposition LMP party demanded parliament’s national security committee to convene.
E-PM called on the government to name the private individuals, senior tax officials, company managers and companies involved in the allegations. In a statement, the party asked the Foreign Ministry to disclose what statements were made during a meeting with the US charge d’affaires who was summoned to the ministry earlier on Friday.
E-PM also asked the ministry to confirm press reports that one of the persons banned from the US was Arpad Habony, “known as a confidant of [Prime Minister] Viktor Orban and the number one communications advisor to [ruling] Fidesz.”
DK senior official Szabolcs Kerek-Barczy told a press conference that the prime minister, the minister heading the prime minister’s office, the interior minister, the foreign minister and the economy minister are expected to confirm whether or not press reports about the US ban on officials were true and whether an investigation had been launched or was planned.
LMP co-leader Bernadett Szel said the details of the corruption allegations must be made public. She suggested that the parliamentary committee for national security should discuss the matter at its session on Monday.
In a statement on Friday afternoon, Habony’s legal representative denied that a US entry ban was in force against his client and called on media outlets that said the opposite to issue corrections.
The online version of business daily Napi Gazdasag said on Thursday that Hungarian authorities launched tax audits in certain US-affiliated organisations and companies, as a result of which the US was blocking access to entry to the US for the heads of certain authorities.