Without Matolcsy, he said, the economy could not have been stabilised and put on a growth course. Socialist MP Tamás Harangozó said that that the central bank governor was associated with “industrial-scale theft and damage”, while Péter Polt, the chief prosecutor, had been “of assistance in covering up the scoundrelism”.

Orbán retorted by saying that under the previous, Socialist government, “the wife of the prime minister was second in charge of European Union funds”. He also defended Polt, saying that his office was “an important buttress of the rule of law in Hungary”.

LMP co-leader András Schiffer said that Matolcsy had “financed” his own relatives through the foundations of the central bank.

“Has your confidence been shaken at last?” he asked Orbán. “Matolcsy is the best possible central bank governor”, the prime minister said. He also welcomed the central bank’s endeavours to create a university, ensure scholarships to students, and “help recapture national treasures”.

“I am convinced that the goals are correct and important, it is my wish that this work continues in the central bank,” Orbán said.

Source: www.hungarymatters.hu
Republished with permission of Hungary Matters, MTI’s daily newsletter.

MTI photo: Kovács Attila