At a press conference in Budapest on Tuesday, Deputy Minister of State for Development Policy Communication Nándor Csepreghy said that ministers János Lázár and Miklós Seszták have ordered an immediate halt to construction of the section of the M4 motorway between Abony and Fegyvernek.
According to Mr. Csepreghy, Mr. Lázár as Minister for the Utilisation of EU Funds and Mr. Seszták as Minister for National Development ordered the CEO of National Infrastructure Development Ltd. (NIF) to stop the construction immediately; the European Commission had raised concerns over suspected cartel activity, which is against EU law.
He added that the Government does not agree with the Commission’s suspicion, and it does not intend to judge anybody until wrongdoing is proven, but since the project is publicly-funded it will launch a full-scale inquiry into the allegations.
The Government would like to clearly see whether the suspicion raised by the European Commission is justified, Mr. Csepreghy said.
According to the Deputy Minister of State, Mr. Lázár has instructed the internal supervision department at the Prime Minister’s Office to investigate the matter and to determine within one month how the NIF conducted its public procurement application for the project. He added that the whole process will be examined: the call for applications; the successful and unsuccessful applications; and the difference between predicted and actual construction cost summaries.
Mr. Csepreghy underlined that nobody is an exception and nobody is above the law: the Government handles every such case in a uniform manner, as every ministry and public body managing public funds must operate with the greatest possible care.
He reiterated that if the suspicion is proven to be true and financial sanctions are imposed on Hungary, those businesses which have participated in abuses must bear the financial burden.