Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Former PM Bajnai Heard on Newest City Hall Case Recording, Mayor Karácsony Suggests Russian Involvement

Former PM Bajnai Heard on Newest City Hall Case Recording, Mayor Karácsony Suggests Russian Involvement

In the newest leaked recording, former left-liberal prime minister, Gordon Bajnai, can be heard talking about City Hall, which appears to confirm his involvement in the background talks about its potential sale. Meanwhile, in reference to a Russian family behind the scenes and some other suspicions, Gergely Karácsony suspects the Russian secret services behind the recordings and suggests their cooperation with ruling Fidesz circles.
Previously, in the City Hall case:


*  Fidesz-linked news outlet Index published a strange contract on November 4th between a real estate agency and a company undergoing forced lay-offs about a deal regarding the City Hall building.

*  Mayor Karácsony denied any such intentions to sell it and he filed a police report, too. His deputy, Ambrus Kiss, also said it was nonsense that there had been an intention to sell.

*  New audio recording on November 9th: there might have been a period when the municipality was considering the possibility of selling the City Hall building.

*  This was already admitted by the municipality, saying that the idea was only one of the many options and was taken off the table about one and a half years ago.

*  Budapest Capital City Property Management Center (BVFK) leader, Balázs J. Barts, was given a written reprimand for having discussed a preparatory study of the possible long-term scenarios of a sale with real estate investors after it had been rejected by the mayor’s cabinet.

*  In a new recording [Fidesz’s former important background player, and former left-liberal PM Gordon Bajnai’s partner] businessman Gyula Gansperger speaks of the city leadership’s corruption-like methods in property dealings.

*  In response, Karácsony filed charges in connection with the “slanderous” tape, and denied any wrongdoing.

*  A police investigation is also underway in another property dealing in a Fidesz-led district that is linked to the City Hall case along with its major players (such as Zsolt Berki).

*  A photo depicting Bajnai and Gansperger together was published in the pro-Fidesz media.

Bajnai: Secret service methods


Soon after the aforementioned photo had been published, Bajnai released a statement claiming that it may have been taken this summer when he was observed “using secret service methods” while meeting with Gansperger. (This contradicts Karácsony who had previously said that the City Hall sale had been swept off the table last November).

Bajnai claims that “in the second part of the meeting, I was asked for my opinion on the political feasibility and chances of a development idea concerning Budapest City Hall. I first made it clear that I have no influence or play any kind of mediator role in this matter. During the discussion I also explained that in my view, an investment in a building with such symbolic importance would definitely come under political attack in the current irrational environment.

Finally, I stressed that regardless of the current situation, such a development could only be considered by decision-makers in the first place if there is a broad political consensus and in a fully transparent way,” Bajnai commented.

Newest recording contradicts Bajnai


On Friday, a new audio recording was released, featuring former left-liberal PM Gordon Bajnai, who can be heard talking to an unknown person about the interest of real estate developers in City Hall, and the intention of the Budapest municipality to move to a smaller and more modern building after a possible real estate development.

The former prime minister says in the recording that he spoke to a man who is far above Balázs Barts about the City Hall project, which could be Gergely Karácsony, but Bajnai doesn’t mention the name.

“They have an internal calculation that the whole municipality could be accommodated here, in a newly built modern office wing, and this could be developed into a hotel, office, or whatever kind of housing the developer has in mind,” Bajnai can be heard saying.

“All I can do is to signal this to [Karácsony’s legal advisor, and BVFK’s chairperson of the executive board Csaba] Tordai once again that I have heard that there is an intention to go on,” he also said.


Telex highlights that Budapest City Hall is definitely not as iconic of a building as, for example, the Parliament. It was built some 150 years ago, originally as army barracks, and its potential conversion and that it perhaps could be used better for other purposes was already a matter of discussion in the 2000s.

Some comments on the recording also appear to confirm that he was involved in talks too, despite his denial of it before the leak. “I know a lot of people there. […] I asked them what the situation was. […] About the City Hall project, I was told that there is an intention to turn it into a development,” he stated.

One name also mentioned on the tape, Gyula [Gansperger], whom Bajnai depicts as an old fellow compatriot of his, who asked whom he should contact about the real estate development plans for City Hall.

Karácsony suspects Russian involvement


The mayor once again labeled the case a smear campaign orchestrated by Fidesz, and said that pro-Putin oligarchs (meaning the Rahimkulov family) may additionally be involved.

Megdet Rahimkulov arrived to Hungary after the regime change. He quickly became the richest person in Hungary. Although he returned to Russia some ten years ago, the combined wealth of his two sons estimated to be twice that of Viktor Orbán’s fast-emerging childhood friend, Lőrinc Mészáros. His family’s involvement was already suggested before as one of the potential buyers of the building.

Karácsony similarly described the recordings to have been made with secret service methods, and labeled them “partly manipulated, partly lies,” made with Gyula Gansperger’s steady presence.

Unlike Bajnai, Karácsony describes Gansperger as “a former accountant of Fidesz, a key figure in the Fidesz headquarters scandal, the first Orbán-led government’s chief private broker and a business associate of the creditor [Orbán’s unofficial advisor], Árpád Habony.”

The mayor claims that the Russian thread is the novelty of the case, arguing that “the whole story strongly resembles a classic, planned Russian disinformation campaign technique aimed to confuse people,” and that he finds it “hard to imagine that a conversation in the Rahimkulovs’ office, the richest family in Hungary, who are implementing a major investment project with Fidesz’s support and have many ties to the Russian state, could have been secretly recorded without the knowledge or against the will of the Russian secret service, and thus the Putin regime.”

Karácsony concludes by explaining that Russia’s attempts to meddle in the free world’s elections in the interests of corrupt local political actors, have become a regular feature recently, and we are facing the same situation now and will have to face it in the pre-election fight of the coming months.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×