More recordings connected with a political scandal surrounding the so-called shadow secret service have emerged on the internet, according to press reports on Saturday.
Another 35 recorded conversations connected to UD Zrt, a security firm suspected of spying on politicians and businesses have been published on the internet, Nepszabadsag online reported on Saturday.
In one of the recordings, an owner of UD Zrt, Janos Toth, is heard talking about wiretapping video surveillance of a law firm in central Budapest.
An investigation is under way into UD, whose staff consists mainly of former police and national security officers, for alleged spying against politicians. The scandal broke out when the first recording indicated that the leader of the conservative opposition Democratic Forum, Ibolya David, who is currently seeking re-election, was being spied on. In that case, two officials of the main opposition Fidesz party were suspected of commissioning UD to acquire information.
In addition, spyware was found on the computers of Hungary’s National Security Office (NBH) and police suspected UD of installing the spyware in order to discover if the security services were monitoring its activities.
Gabor Simon, a senior member of the governing Socialist party, told a press conference on Saturday that it was encumbent on Fidesz to clear itself of charges that it has become “mixed-up with a business group suspected of serious crimes”.
Two former secret services ministers of the Fidesz administration (1998-2002) were in regular contact with the security firm, secret services minister Gyorgy Szilvasy said on Tuesday.
Fidesz spokesman Peter Szijjarto on Saturday denied any wrongdoing by his party, insisting that the recordings now published showed that Fidesz had not been involved in the disputed acts.
