"A Public notary has overruled a decision of the Budapest Municipal Court and given permission for the beleaguered Turul statue on the corner of Istenhegyi út and Böszörményi út in Buda's District XII to remain. The notary did, however, fine District XII Ft190,000 ($1,275) for having erected the statue without a valid building permission.A press spokesman for District I, Lívia Balázsovics, said the notary based his decision on finding the statue “acceptable” both technically and cityscape-wise. “The statue is secure, and capable of appropriate use, while the conditions the court’s rejection were based on, have already changed,” Balázsovics noted.The decision is puzzling because it is the first case where a district notary has overturned a legally binding court decision in Hungary. It was understood that only the Supreme Court had the right to alter court decisions.
Ease the tension
“We expect tension to ease after this decision,” the public relations head of District XII, János Váczi, said in a statement on Friday (July 4). The legally binding decision of the Budapest Court took effect on Apr 9, but district mayor Zoltán Pokorni (the chief education spokesman of opposition party Fidesz) refused to execute the order to demolish the statue, suggesting the District I notary could grant permission, although he has never elaborated on the legal background of such a a decision.
The Turul statue was erected by Pokorni’s predecessor and was a memorial for the victims of WWII, but was attacked by coalition parties, and civic organizations, because the Turul (a mythological bird representing Hungarian supremacy) is also used as an far right wing symbol.
Later Pokorni suggested the the statue should commemorate only the military victims of the war. He also initiated the building of another statue, commemorating the civilian, that was also granted building permit by the notary of District I last week."
Source: Budapest Sun
14.07.2008