In the course of an ongoing investigation of suspected budgetary fraud, Hungary's National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV) conducted yet another house search at the premises of DatAdat Professional Kft, a company linked to the left wing's failed ex-PM Gordon Bajnai and his former secret services minister, Adam Ficsor.

This week, Hungary’s National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV) held another house search as part of their investigation against DatAdat Professional Kft, the Hungarian daily Magyar Nemzet writes. As is known, the tax authority suspects that the company – with links to former leftist PM Gordon Bajnai and his one-time secret services minister Adam Ficsor – may have reduced its tax dues in 2020 in violation of law, potentially causing a budgetary loss by filing a false statement in its tax return.

Magyar Nemzet was the first to break the news of the house search conducted by NAV on 27 September as part of an investigation of suspected budgetary fraud, but DatAdat tried to deny the paper’s information and accused the paper of lying.

However, NAV issued a statement somewhat later, confirming that a house search did take place. The statement said that the investigators intended to seize the company’s accounting documents, but it was not possible because of the company’s irregular operation, i.e. DatAdat did not operate at its registered headquarters, thereby violating legal requirements.

The company’s executives refused to disclose where the company actually operates, even when contacted on the phone. The documents could not be examined at the accountant of DatAdat, because there was no accountant’s office at the address given. Eventually, the investigators managed to seize a significant part of the necessary documents from the undeclared office of the solopreneur in charge of the accounting, the tax authority said.

In its inquiry, Magyar Nemzet asked DatAdat to confirm the paper’s information that there was indeed another house search in connection with the company. However, the company, linked to former PM Gordon Bajnai, has yet to respond to the request. Gyula Budai, a ruling party MP also implicated in the DatAdat case has recently filed a supplementary denunciation with NAV in connection with the latest developments in the DatAdat scandal, as well as the US funds channeled to the opposition.

Mr Budai has turned to the authority again because DatAdat had pocketed two billion forints in the twelve months before the election but, according to the company’s own accounts, almost all of their revenue has quickly disappeared, as they spent about 1.8 billion forints on so-called „brokered” services, Magyar Nemzet writes.