Hungarian billionaire's firms funnel hundreds of millions to pro-Orbán media outfit
Documents show that companies owned by Lőrinc Mészáros transferred large sums to Megafon, a social-media firm that promoted Viktor Orbán’s party.
Investigators uncovered internal documents indicating that Lőrinc Mészáros’s companies have been major financiers of Megafon, a digital campaign agency supporting Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party. Between 2022 and 2024, V-Híd Zrt., R-Kord Kft. and Kontúr Csoport Kft. contributed at least 4.5 billion forints, roughly one-third of Megafon’s income. Specific payments included a 500 million-forint transfer in February 2023 and subsequent donations of about one million euros.
Additional records show proposals to allocate 1.3 million euros per month to Megafon in early 2024, amounting to roughly four million euros. The funding helped Megafon become the leading political advertiser on Facebook, spending billions of forints on pro-Fidesz content. Transparency International Hungary’s executive director described the arrangement as a cycle where public contracts fund private propaganda efforts.
