Hungarian State Funds Flow to Pro-Media-Backed Slovak Weekly Ma7

Investigations reveal that the Hungarian government has been channeling public resources to the Slovak weekly Ma7 through the Pro Media Alapítvány and the Bethlen Gábor Alap. A substantial portion of these payments was directed to H & K Plus, a company without a website or public contact information, whose owners are tied to the Magyar Szövetség. In 2021, more than 95 percent of H & K Plus’s revenue appears to have come from the Pro Media Foundation.

One month’s distribution expense for Ma7 approached 27,000 euros, a figure far above the cost that the newspaper’s subscriber numbers and postal tariffs would suggest. The newspaper’s printing was handled by ADC Media, an enterprise linked to Világi Oszkár, a known ally of Orbán Viktor, and the annual printing cost ranged between 144,000 and 228,000 euros. Requests for clarification on the procurement process were ignored, and the Bethlen Gábor Alap has not yet approved reports for several recent years.