No One Agrees to Testify Before Budapest Investigative Committee on Bicske Child Home Case
In the investigation of the sexual abuse incidents at the Bicske child home, the Budapest Investigative Committee, established by a unanimous decision of the City Assembly to explore the background of these abuses by the end of April, faces significant challenges.
To date, only one meeting has been held since its inception, and the majority of invited persons have failed to provide substantive written responses or accept invitations to testify.
Upon its formation on March 4th, the five-member committee agreed on a work plan that included holding five sessions and a list of individuals to be interviewed. This list, assembled by committee chairman and District III mayor László Kiss, was decidedly narrow and included high-profile names such as former Chief Notary, leaders of the Education, Child and Youth Protection Department, including Pölöskei Gáborné, sister of former President János Áder, and former Budapest Mayor István Tarlós along with his deputy in charge of educational and youth affairs, Miklós Csomós.
The committee also sought to question others connected to the case, including individuals associated with the awarding of the István Bárczy Prize to János Vásárhelyi, the since convicted director of the child home. Notably, a proposal to extend inquiries into the tenure of previous city administrations under Gábor Demszky was rejected by the committee's opposition majority.
Committee chair László Kiss reported that, aside from one complainant and former Mayor István Tarlós, there has been a lack of substantial responses to the inquiries. Documents solicited from the Budapest Archives pertaining to the period before 2011 also failed to shed new light on the nature of complaints received from the Bicske child home in 2006.
With only one official meeting held so far due to the lack of willing participants for expert testimony, the future efforts of the investigative committee hang in the balance. László Kiss remains hopeful that the committee's report, including recommendations for improvement within the child protection system, will be ready for presentation at the City Assembly by end-April.
Upon its formation on March 4th, the five-member committee agreed on a work plan that included holding five sessions and a list of individuals to be interviewed. This list, assembled by committee chairman and District III mayor László Kiss, was decidedly narrow and included high-profile names such as former Chief Notary, leaders of the Education, Child and Youth Protection Department, including Pölöskei Gáborné, sister of former President János Áder, and former Budapest Mayor István Tarlós along with his deputy in charge of educational and youth affairs, Miklós Csomós.
The committee also sought to question others connected to the case, including individuals associated with the awarding of the István Bárczy Prize to János Vásárhelyi, the since convicted director of the child home. Notably, a proposal to extend inquiries into the tenure of previous city administrations under Gábor Demszky was rejected by the committee's opposition majority.
Committee chair László Kiss reported that, aside from one complainant and former Mayor István Tarlós, there has been a lack of substantial responses to the inquiries. Documents solicited from the Budapest Archives pertaining to the period before 2011 also failed to shed new light on the nature of complaints received from the Bicske child home in 2006.
With only one official meeting held so far due to the lack of willing participants for expert testimony, the future efforts of the investigative committee hang in the balance. László Kiss remains hopeful that the committee's report, including recommendations for improvement within the child protection system, will be ready for presentation at the City Assembly by end-April.
Translation:
Translated by AI
