Péter Magyar accused outgoing Hungarian foreign minister Peter Szijjarto of destroying documents related to European Union sanctions as he pledged to put an end to the country’s cosy ties with Russia.
The incoming prime minister and winner of last weekend’s election said he had reports that Szijjarto was destroying documents at the foreign ministry in Budapest.
Magyar made the claims at a news conference on Monday, during which he pledged to work constructively with Brussels and unlock billions of euro in EU funds, which he called a priority.
Magyar has said Hungary’s historic election, in which voters turned out in record numbers, was a mandate to steer Hungary back in the European fold.
“We understand he turned up at the foreign ministry at 10am this morning,” he said of Szijjarto. “[It’s] the ministry where Russian hackers were let into the computer systems and they are shredding documents relating to sanctions.”
Magyar added it “won’t be enough” to stop crimes being investigated.
The pro-Kremlin foreign minister had become the face of Viktor Orbán’s close relations with Russian president Vladimir Putin, having travelled to Moscow more than a dozen times since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
During the election campaign, leaked transcripts of phone calls showed Szijjarto had volunteered his services to Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov. This involved Szijjarto offering to dilute EU sanctions against Russia.
Szijjarto had called it routine diplomacy, while Magyar has called the minister a “bag carrier” for Lavrov.
[ Viktor Orbán stifled the press at home and cultivated media friends abroadOpens in new window ]
The minister hasn’t been seen in public since the election, sparking speculation about whether he’s going to flee the country and show up in Moscow.
A spokesperson for the foreign ministry didn’t immediately respond to a phone call seeking comment.
Magyar came back to the issue later in the conference when asked directly by a reporter about details of how he knew about the shredding of documents.
“People have for weeks been sharing with us information about astonishing crimes inside the ministries,” he said. He spoke of “credible inside information” and a number of whistleblowers.
[ Peter Magyar vows to pursue those who ‘plundered’ Hungary, after election winOpens in new window ]
Orbán made hostility toward Ukraine the centrepiece of his failed re-election bid. He has been blocking a €90 billion loan from the EU to Ukraine. The loan is of vital importance to Kyiv as it struggles to defend itself against Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The now-outgoing Hungarian prime minister told Putin in a phone call last October that he was “at your service”.
It is alleged that Szijjarto, on his regular trips to Moscow, has briefed Lavrov on the content of EU foreign ministers’ meetings.
“Hungary would no longer be a Russian puppet state but would return to Europe,” Magyar said. – Bloomberg
