Gergely Karácsony handed out another huge bonus: he gave almost ten million HUF extra money to J. Balázs Barts, who was disciplined at the end of 2021.
In recent days, there has been a lot of talk in the press about the fabulous bonuses of several business managers in the capital, the total extra allowances awarded are already close to HUF 100 million, while according to the mayor, the municipality is in a serious financial situation.
It is not yet known which high-value capital real estate the head of the Budapest asset management company has bought or sold, but it is certain that Gergely Karácsony is fully satisfied with his work. The mayor, like the heads of several other local government companies, authorized J. Balázs Barts to receive a fabulous bonus on July 20 this year.
According to a document obtained by the Magyar Nemzet, the company can pay HUF 9.48 million for the performance of the 2022 premium duties of the CEO of the Budapest City Capital Asset Management Co., Ltd., following the mayor's decision. This amount of almost ten million is 40 percent of Barts J. Balázs' basic salary in 2022.
All of this is also spicy because the head of the asset management company is one of the protagonists of the City Hall scandal.
It should be remembered that in November 2021, the first audio recordings appeared in the press about the possible sale of the patina building complex being discussed with investors, and Barts J. Balázs also participated in the discussions.
In another audio recording, former left-wing Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai talked about the fact that his old fighter and business partner Gyula Gansperger, who played the role of mediator, inquired about the sale project of the City Hall and who he should talk to about the matter.
Then I inquired about this, and they said that, for the time being, Balázs Barts was appointed as a specialist - answered Bajnai in his own words. He also noted in the recording that he knows Barts and considers him a good professional, but now he did not talk to him about this, but to someone far above him.
It was also revealed in the recordings that a commission system was operated at the City Hall, through which real estate in the capital was sold under cover.
A police investigation was launched into the case, which is still ongoing today, and Zsolt Berki, who is considered to be the key figure in the alleged corruption system and linked to the left, and his brother József Berki, are suspected of influence peddling.
According to the data of the criminal proceedings, the Berki brothers closely coordinated their tasks, and several e-mails also prove that they received the inside information directly from an employee of the capital asset manager led by Barts J. Balázs.
The CEO of the asset management company later - in front of the capital commission investigating the matter - admitted that he had negotiated the sale of the City Hall with the investors in question, and thus made a mistake.
Gergely Karácsony also considered Barts' background negotiations on the sale of the City Hall as a mistake, but the head of the asset manager escaped with a written disciplinary notice. Moreover, as it turned out, the mayor awarded Barts J. Balázs a reward in the same year, at the end of 2021.
According to official information from the Office of the Mayor last February, the manager of the asset management company received a HUF 5.22 million bonus.
However, before the whole truth was revealed, Karácsony plunged himself into a veritable spiral of lies that lasted for a month, as he contradicted himself in successive statements and talked about the Barts premium. First, at the meeting of the capital investigation committee set up in the City Hall case, he firmly stated that Barts Balázs, the head of the capital's asset management company, was given a year-end bonus by the capital. The mayor then emphasized that all company managers received a reward.
After that, the Mayor's Office denied Karácsony's words when asked by the press, they replied that Barts did not receive a reward.
The mayor then began an awkward explanation.
"Unfortunately, I didn't remember the dates well, I made a statement from memory," answered Karácsony to the question about the end-of-year bonus of the head of the asset management company. He claimed that Balázs Barts did not receive a year-end bonus, last year he could only take the bonus for the year 2020. However, he refused to give a clear answer as to whether the director of the asset management company will receive the bonus for the year 2021.
In the end, it became clear from the response to the request for information in the public interest that the head of the asset manager was given an additional bonus of more than five million forints, even though he received a written discipline from the mayor for negotiating the sale of the City Hall without authorization, according to Karácsony.
It is worth remembering: the mayor, acting in his own authority, secretly approved fabulous bonuses for three BKK and six BKV managers, moreover, just when he announced that he would raise public transport ticket prices by 28 percent. Those concerned can borrow a total of HUF 65 million, and the payments in those cases will also be charged to the budgets of the respective companies.
By the way, in his Facebook post on Wednesday, Karácsony acknowledged the authorization of BKK and BKV top management bonuses, to which, according to him, the people concerned are entitled because they have fulfilled the necessary commitments.
After that, it turned out that Imre Mártha, the head of the Budapest utility company, could also receive a huge bonus. Based on Karácsony's decision, Imre Mártha, who otherwise has a billion-dollar fortune, can become richer by nearly HUF eight million.
So the bonus awarded to the head of the capital's asset management company, the managers of the transport companies, and the head of the Budapest utility company is already close to HUF 100 million, while according to Gergely Karácsony, the municipality is struggling with serious financial problems.
