The office of Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar has filed a criminal complaint over suspected embezzlement in former Prime Minister Viktor Orban's social media contracts. The government press service announced the legal action following an audit into contracts for covering Orban's online activities. Officials said the complaint also covers suspected abuse of official position.
The government press service stated that Triton Communications carried out the work without any public procurement procedure. Fanni Kaminski, known as a press advisor to Orban, owns Triton Communications. Authorities noted that officials exempted the contract from public procurement laws by claiming the prime minister is a person under state protection.
In 2022, Orban's cabinet office, headed by Antal Rogan, signed a framework contract with Triton Communications. The government initially agreed to pay Kaminski nearly 63.7 million forints ($201,000) a month. In return, Triton agreed to make photos and videos and produce reports monitoring social media.
Rising costs and minimal video content
Officials extended the contract four times, increasing the price at each renewal. Following the last change in September of last year, the cabinet office paid the company 86,487,000 forints a month. That was 23 million forints higher than the starting monthly rate, even though service requirements remained unchanged. Over four years, costs for the same services grew by 30 percent for a firm employing five people.
Over 44 months since 2022, Triton Communications received over 4.2 billion forints ($13.3 million) from the cabinet office. Completion certificates showed that videos averaged 15 seconds in length. In one month, the government spent over 63 million forints for just 21 minutes of video material and 411 photos.
Magyar's press service stated that prices were inflated at least three times higher than international standards. The government also noted that several items created under the contract in 2026 resemble election campaigning rather than official coverage of the former prime minister's work.
Broader fiscal disputes and government reforms
Magyar previously accused Orban of excessive spending a few days before the end of Orban's 16-year rule. Magyar claimed the state budget deficit this year would hit 6.8 percent of Gross Domestic Product, well above the original 3.9 percent target and later 5 percent forecast.
The United States imposed sanctions on Rogan in January 2025 before lifting restrictions in April of that year. In March 2026, the Financial Times reported that 13 associates of Orban received a major share of state contracts after he took power. Hungary's new government has now proposed establishing a National Authority for Asset Recovery and Protection.
