A joint investigation by the Hungarian investigative journalism center Direkt36 and the Belgian newspaper De Tijd has revealed that the Hungarian intelligence service spied on EU officials visiting the country. In particular, the intelligence service searched their hotel rooms and recorded phone conversations.
This was reported by Politico with reference to the relevant investigation.
Thus, the journalists discovered that the Information Directorate of Hungary (IH) monitored investigators from the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), which at one time investigated the activities of a Hungarian company owned by the son-in-law of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
The investigation cites examples of EU officials working for OLAF visiting Hungary being physically monitored during car trips and having their phones tapped between 2015 and 2017.
The report adds that it is common practice for Hungarian intelligence to search the hotel rooms of visiting EU delegations and download information from their laptops.
At the same time, a spokesman for Orbán’s office told Politico: “We are not dealing with fake news.”
The publication notes that Budapest has long been accused of hacking the phones of journalists, activists and opposition figures, and in 2021 a Hungarian lawmaker admitted that the government had purchased Israeli spyware. Earlier this year, a member of the European Parliament, who was critical of Hungary, was also hacked.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, Politico previously stated that NATO countries fear for the fate of secret data and confidential discussions held between alliance members due to Hungary's pro-russian policy.
Meanwhile, in July 2024, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said that Hungary's position irritates members of the European Union.
Recall that earlier, Warsaw called on Budapest to leave the European Union and NATO due to the country's close ties with russia.
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