Even during the coronavirus epidemic, the mayor of Miskolc provided an opposition local government representative with a high-class apartment well below the market price by a personal decision, the Index wrote.

HUF 160,450. That was just the price per square meter of the 177-square-meter high-class apartment in the main street of Miskolc, which the representative of the Democratic Coalition, Mihály Mokrai, was able to buy for HUF 28,400,000.

In May of last year, mayor Pál Veres, using his emergency powers caused by the coronavirus epidemic (exercising the authority of the representative body), signed the decision on the sale of municipal properties, the list of which included the apartment in question.

A total of 44 apartments were on the list of properties available for sale to tenants, including many panel apartments. The largest is 73 square meters, but they are typically around 50 and 60 square meters. The municipality offered these to tenants at a (discounted) price of HUF 180 and HUF 250,000 per square meter,

MIHÁLY MOKRAI, MUNICIPAL REPRESENTATIVE OF DK, AND THE MAYOR'S ECONOMIC ADVISOR, HAS RECEIVED AN OUTSTANDING DISCOUNT, HOWEVER.

The apartment he bought (which has since in his declaration of assets ) is not only more than twice the size of the largest municipal apartment offered for purchase, but it also has the best location and the lowest price per square meter. A staff member of one of the real estate agencies in Miskolc, who knows the pedestrian street well, told Index that, on a market basis, properties in this area change hands at a price of around HUF 400,000 per square meter.

In the matter, the paper contacted the local government, who announced that they would initiate a comprehensive professional investigation into the real estate sale.

Placing the responsibility perceptibly on Miskolc Holding Zrt., which performs real estate management, they also added that after the completion of the professional investigation, based on its findings, the city's real estate sales practice will be reviewed.

The beneficiary politician, Mihály Mokrai, is also qualified as a real estate agent, appraiser and asset appraiser.

Source: Index

Photo: János Vajda | Source: MTI/MTVA