Budapest's financial situation is not very rosy, BKK was also fined HUF 200 million, yet the left-wing city manager approved the payment of bonuses to several managerial employees. Gergely Karácsony decided on 200 million forints, and the list also includes Walter Katalin, who compares the capital's passengers to turkeys ripe for slaughter, Barts J. Balázs, who stands out in the City Hall case, and Imre Mártha, who owns several luxury properties in Florida.

Gergely Karácsony approved the payment of the 2023 bonuses of the general managers of the capital's local government, he decided to pay HUF 200 million, the left-wing mayor himself announced on his social media page.

Highlighted by Budapest Közlekedesi Központ Zrt. (BKK), BKV Budapest Közlekedesi Zrt., Budapesti Közművek Nonprofit Zrt. (BKM)

its leaders "made sure with superhuman efforts that public transport, garbage collection or district heating continued to function despite the continuous government withdrawals and bleeding.

They did this with a significantly lower remuneration compared to the managers of companies providing public public services".

It would be pure hypocrisy if, due to the malicious hysteria campaign of the governing parties, the company managers did not get what they deserve and what they are entitled to by law. On behalf of the people of Budapest, we also thank them for their support"

he closed his post.

The payment of premiums to the capital's business managers is a sensitive topic - especially if we add that Gergely Karácsony's city management even according to the mayor's own admission brought Budapest to the brink of bankruptcy, Mandiner writes in its article .

The Gyurcsány branch, which owns luxury real estate in Florida, cannot be left out either

Even in the Gyurcsány–Bajnai era, the management of important large state enterprises was entrusted Mártha Imre , who a few years ago was given a similar task at Gergely Karácsony's City Hall as the CEO of Budapesti Közművek Nonprofit Zrt. (BKM). Mártha attracted attention primarily with his scandals and luxurious lifestyle, but now it has been revealed:

the public utility manager can also receive a bus premium payment following the decision of the left-wing mayor.

In an earlier summary of Magyar Nemzet, Mártha recalled that , based on his own statement, he believes in clean market operation in the way that he was a state/municipal company manager during the Gyurcsány-Bajnai era, but also during the reign of Karácsony. During Ferenc Gyurcsány's administration, Mártha was able to occupy the position of CEO of Magyar Villamos Művek Zrt. (MVM). This was preceded by the fact that since the establishment of the second Gyurcsány government, Mártha assisted with the energy cuts, which the Gyurcsánys still denied hand and foot in the 2006 election campaign.

In a 2014 Pesti Srácok article, it can be read that the company of Gyurcsány's former communications manager, Viktor Szigetvári, earned millions on the backwaters of the Paks expansion in 2008-2009. Szigetvári és Társai Kommunikációs Kft. was established, "which in August 2008 received a gross order of 2.7 million, then in March 2009 a gross order of 2.8 million - a total of HUF 5.5 million gross - from Hungarian Electric Works. The contracts were signed by Viktor Szigetvári and the then general manager of the electrical works, Imre Mártha," the portal reported. Speaking of the Paks expansion, it is worth mentioning that Mártha supported the project in 2009 and had no problems with the Russian contractors. However, by 2021, he has already suggested stopping the development.

When the press started reporting on Mártha's scandals and luxurious lifestyle, Gyurcsány suddenly spoke on her social media page. He wrote about the utility manager as follows: "Imre Mártha is an excellent person. (…) He was surrounded by general professional and human trust when he led Hungarian Electric Works under our government. I only heard good things about him, we hardly met in person. In the last couple of years, I've been watching what he's doing in Budapest again. What he has done is commendable. You can argue with him on a number of issues.

But he is a decent, prepared, smart person. Patriot. Rich man. Very."

Some cheeky rewards:

  • BKK CEO Walter Katalin HUF 11,610,000;
  • BKV CEO Tibor Bolla HUF 11,40,000;
  • And Edgár Imre Mártha receives a premium payment of HUF 11,748,000.

Barts J. Balázs is on the list - who was known to the public mostly because of the Városháza-gate , and based on what appeared in the press, he was condemned by Karácsony. The CEO of the Budapest Capital Management Center Private Limited Company can borrow HUF 10,920,000 . Karácsony referred to the fact that he was obliged to pay the premiums because the company managers fulfilled the tasks stipulated in the conditions. However, Dávid Vitézy pointed out that this is a lie. In the case of Walter Katalin, the tasks were assigned 12 days before the end of the year, in such a way that he was sure to fulfill them, the Mandiner wrote.

Vitézy is upset, he would withdraw the bonus of more than ten million for the CEO of BKK

"The Public Procurement Decision Committee imposed a record penalty of HUF 200 million on BKK, because the company conducted one of the bus tenders announced in 2023 in a manner that was clearly illegal in many respects," Dávid Vitézy drew attention to on his social media page.

The traffic specialist recalled that all this happens a day after the explosion was the news,

the CEO of BKK received HUF 11 million as a reward from Gergely Karácsony for his work in 2023 in addition to his monthly salary of HUF 2.8 million.

Vitézy recalled that he wrote on Sunday that "Walter Katalin's premium in itself is unacceptable only because, after the crash after the flight reductions, he said that they did not consult with the passengers because the served turkeys were not even asked about their fate before Thanksgiving ."

He then continued by saying, "it's quite certain: a 200 million,

there is clearly no premium for the public procurement fine that can be charged to the management of BKK. 

Please, the mayor, change your decision yesterday and withdraw the bonus of the CEO of BKK!" - a former challenger told Gergely Karácsony.

Source: Civilek.info / Mandiner

Photo: Zoltán Máthé (MTI)