The politician announced that he had sent a notification to the attorney general's office, which had already initiated a formal investigation. The minister also suggested Panyi's political connections, claiming that the journalist was in contact with people associated with the opposition TISHA party. According to Tuzson, Panyi took part in discussions about personnel decisions that the party would make after a possible victory in the upcoming elections.
Orban's man: Panyi spied for a foreign country
Gergely Gulyas, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief of staff, reinforced the accusations during a press conference. The politician stated that Panyi “spyed against his own country in cooperation with a foreign country” and that his role as a journalist was a “cover”.
Authorities released a video, recorded without Panyi's knowledge, in which the journalist talks to his source about the phone number used by Szijjarto. The recording appeared this week in media linked to the Hungarian government. The conversation concerned the investigation into the minister's communications with the Russian foreign minister.
The Washington Post reported on Saturday that Szijjarto regularly contacted Sergei Lavrov during breaks in EU Council meetings. According to the American daily, the Hungarian minister provided the Russian foreign minister with “direct reports on the matters discussed.”
Szijjarto rejected the reports of the Washington Post, while admitting that he consults Lavrov before and after the meetings of EU foreign ministers on the decisions made there. Therefore, the minister did not deny the fact of regular talks with his Russian counterpart.
The journalist denies the accusations. “Typical for Russia”
Panyi commented on the case on Facebook on Thursday, categorically rejecting the accusations. The reporter wrote that “accusing investigative journalists of espionage is virtually unprecedented in the 21st century for a European Union member state.”
— This is something typical of Putin's Russia, Belarus and similar regimes. Not only have I never engaged in espionage, but I actually see my investigative work as a kind of journalistic counterintelligence activity aimed at countering Russian operations, he added, calling the allegations “completely baseless.”
The case comes two weeks before the parliamentary elections scheduled for April 12. The opposition TISHA party is ahead of Prime Minister Orban's Fidesz in most independent polls. In a March survey by Median, this party gained a 23-point advantage among decisive voters. Polls from centers linked to the government indicate that Fidesz has an advantage of several percent.
