Hungary's Ministry of Foreign Affairs claims it has uncovered abuse of the citizenship-granting system: Canadian clients with no ties whatsoever to Hungary allegedly obtained Hungarian passports for $30,000 to $50,000. Parliamentary state secretary of the ministry György László Velkey says that naturalizations for paying foreigners were arranged by a private company. HVG ↗
At the center of the scheme was said to be a Hungarian-owned Canadian company, Hungarian Citizenship Consulting. One of its managers was allegedly also an official responsible for the state naturalization program, while the other co-owner, acting as a diaspora representative, signed recommendation letters — meaning the client was paying a firm directly connected to the decision-making process. According to the ministry, authorities have already begun revoking diplomatic passports issued without proper grounds. Budapest Business Journal ↗
Velkey claims that evidence also points to former deputy prime minister Zsolt Semjén, who was responsible for national policy and the granting of citizenship in Orbán's government, as well as to ministers Péter Szijjártó and Gergely Gulyás — who either supported the scheme or knew about it. Gulyás rejects the substance of the accusations and insists that all citizenship decisions were lawful and underwent security vetting. The case is part of a broader reckoning by Prime Minister Péter Magyar's government with the era of Viktor Orbán. 444.hu ↗ Daily News Hungary ↗
For a Slovak reader, the case carries a close context. Hungary's simplified citizenship program is known here mainly through the Hungarians of Felvidék (southern Slovakia), for whom it was originally intended — and dual Slovak-Hungarian citizenship remains a sensitive political topic. According to the Hungarian ministry, that very same channel was allegedly monetized for foreigners with no Hungarian roots whatsoever. Index ↗
Hungary was selling citizenship to Canadians for tens of thousands of dollars, its foreign ministry claims. Semjén is also implicated
On Record
Péter Magyar
Predseda vlády Maďarska
03.08.2026
„Ez persze nem azt jelenti, hogy miután túlleszünk a nehézségeken, nem kell levonni a konzekvenciákat és nem kell megnevezni a felelősöket."
Po rokovaní s lídrami parlamentných frakcií v Sándorovom paláci o vládnom zvládaní energetickej krízy.
Péter Magyar
Predseda vlády Maďarska
03.08.2026
„Az MVM politikai utasításra százmilliárdokat költött hirdetésekre, szponzorációkra és sportklubokra."
Magyarova reakcia na to, že sa za predchádzajúcej vlády nepostavila nová paksská čerpacia stanica.
Péter Magyar
Predseda vlády Maďarska
03.08.2026
„Innen is üzenem az olasz partoknál ringatózó Rose d'Or nevű harmincmilliárdos jacht tulajdonosának, hogy még nem késő önkéntes felajánlást tenni, ahogy azt megtette több száz másik vállalat is."
Verejná výzva Lőrincovi Mészárosovi, aby prispel na zvládanie energetickej krízy.
Péter Magyar
Premiér Maďarska, predseda Tiszy
25.07.2026
„Menthetetlen, bukott maffiafőnökkel foglalkozni felesleges. Köszönjük a bölcsességet és a bizalmat Magyarország!"
Celá Magyarova reakcia na Orbánov tusványoský prejav, zverejnená na Facebooku. Ukazuje jeho novú stratégiu — predchodcu nezdvíhať na svoju úroveň.
Péter Magyar
Premiér Maďarska
18.07.2026
„Döntsünk együtt! Nem szivarszobákban szeretnénk a legmegfelelőbb jelöltet megtalálni. Javasoljanak a pártok, a közélet szereplői, civilek és magánemberek."
Výzva verejnosti, aby posielala návrhy na prezidentského kandidáta. O deň neskôr Magyar oznámil meno Judit Polgárovej.
Péter Magyar
Premiér Maďarska
23.06.2026
„V4 sa vracia."
Po prvom summite premiérov Vyšehradskej štvorky od roku 2023 v maďarskom Gödöllő.
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