Minority Ombudsman Erno Kallai noted instances of misconduct and possible misuse of funding by minority institutions in his report on his office’s activities in 2008 to a Parliamentary committee on Tuesday.
Briefing the human rights, minority, civilian and religious affairs committee, Kallai said that his office had been reviewing the operation of minority cultural institutions, and had found a wide range of anomalies and misconduct. An investigation will be concluded in November, he said.
The use of funds allocated over the past ten years for initiatives to improve the situation of Hungary’s Roma is also the subject of an investigation, he said.
“It is hard to know whether these funds […] have been used for their stated purpose; but it can certainly be said that their use is not in proportion to the results over the ten-year period,” he said.
The way data on ethnic minorities is handled appears to be out-dated, which is a serious cause for concern, he said. On this matter a joint investigation has been launched together with the data protection ombudsman, said Kallai.
The committee approved the ombudsman’s report for a general debate.
are we surprised? NEM!