 |
|
 
|
|
|
HATC SAMPLE EDITION:
|
|
18th August, 2026
Criminal complaint filed over Ft 10bn procurement
Social and Family Affairs Minister Vilmos Kátai-Németh has filed a criminal complaint against an unknown perpetrator over the purchase of 400 containerised pellet boilers two years ago, alleging that they were procured at inflated prices and that some of the Chinese-made units contain asbestos.
The procurement was launched under the Fidesz government in response to the 2022 energy crisis, with the aim of reducing gas consumption in public institutions.
The boilers were ultimately purchased in a 2023-24 tender at a reported Ft 26 million each, or Ft 10.5 billion in total.
However, institutions were reportedly not assessed beforehand to determine whether they needed boilers or what capacity would be appropriate.
Moreover, tests by the University of Miskolc found that the Chinese boilers failed to meet several environmental, electrical, fire safety and occupational safety requirements.
They were never put into operation. Only two of the 400 boilers are currently operating, both of them in a correctional facility; the rest have remained unused at social and child-welfare institutions nationwide.
The ministry has launched the criminal complaint to investigate the procurement and its circumstances and is assessing what should happen to the unused boilers.
|
Sources regularly consulted, with abbreviations used in text: Népszabadság (N); Magyar Hírlap (MH); Világgazdaság (VG); Napi Gazdaság (NG); Magyar Nemzet (MN); Népszava (Nsz); Kossuth Rádió news (KR); nightly TV news (TV).
|
|
|
 Contact
Free Trial Subscription
|
|
