Hungarian Justice Investigates Miklós Szánthó for Fraud, a Key Link to Kast’s International Far-Right Agenda

Original article: Justicia de Hungría va tras Miklós Szánthó por fraude, uno de los nexos claves de Kast para la agenda de la ultraderecha internacional

The Office of the Hungarian Prime Minister has filed a complaint regarding potential budget fraud and mismanagement after discovering irregularities in the use of 410 million forints allocated to the Center for Fundamental Rights, led by Miklós Szánthó. The fraud case in Hungary highlights that Szánthó, a critical connection for Kast, is not exactly above reproach.

The file identified 188.5 million forints (approximately $576,000) in fees for its three main leaders, documents signed by the same individual representing both parties, and accounting reports that, according to the Government, lack research studies or investigative reports validating part of the financed activities.

The case takes on an international dimension as Szánthó and his team have made Hungary a hub for international national-conservative right-wing coordination, with the Budapest entity and its leaders invited to Santiago during José Antonio Kast’s arrival at La Moneda.

Szánthó and the Center for Fundamental Rights are part of the international network linked to the Political Network for Values (PNfV), an organization chaired by José Antonio Kast from March 2022 to 2024. Documents obtained by El Mostrador confirm that the PNfV received over 405 million forints from the government of Viktor Orbán between 2020 and 2024, including a disbursement of 355.4 million forints in 2022, the year Kast assumed the presidency of the organization.

By The El Ciudadano Investigative Team

Hungarian authorities have launched an investigation into the use of public funds awarded over recent years to one of the leading think tanks aligned with Viktor Orbán’s government: the Alapjogokért Központ —Center for Fundamental Rights—, led by Miklós Szánthó.

The Prime Minister’s Office stated that it has submitted a complaint against an unknown author after reviewing the documentation related to state grants awarded between 2021 and 2024 to Jogállam és Igazság Nonprofit Kft., the organization managing the Center.

According to the Government, the review revealed elements that could constitute budget fraud and mismanagement. The complaint does not imply that Szánthó has been formally charged or convicted: it is now up to the authorities to determine whether a crime occurred and who may be responsible.

The record involves 410 million Hungarian forints awarded through the Bethlen Gábor Alapkezelő (BGA) to finance, among other initiatives, the project Brüsszel a mi szemünkkel, “Brussels through our eyes,” as well as professional programs and the operational costs of the Center.

The Prime Minister’s Office itself points out that the funds were awarded during the previous government’s term and without an open bidding process.

Miklós Szánthó and the organization he leads have a longstanding connection with the current President of Chile, José Antonio Kast.

188.5 Million Forints in Fees

One of the main findings from the review pertains to the salaries of the three key leaders of the Center: Miklós Szánthó, Gergely István Kovács, and Péter Törcsi.

A record from July 2021 establishes that the three leaders agreed among themselves to a gross monthly salary of 1,431,639 forints each.

This amount was reaffirmed in 2022, and by June 2023, it increased to 1,574,803 forints per month for each leader.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the reviewed documents do not evidence any external approval, oversight, or endorsement of those salary decisions.

In total, during the review period, the three leaders received 188.5 million forints in fees, equivalent to approximately 46% of the 410 million forints awarded through the grants under investigation.

The amount alone does not prove any wrongdoing. The investigation must establish whether the payments were authorized, whether they met the conditions of the grants, and whether they corresponded to actual services rendered.

One Individual Signs on Both Sides

One of the documents uncovered during the review is particularly striking.

It is an agreement dated 2023 with the associated compliance certificate. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Miklós Szánthó appears to sign both as the contractor and the contracted party.

This fact was highlighted by the Hungarian press upon the discovery of the documents.

Another point in the review relates to the justification of the activities undertaken.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the beneficiaries were required to submit professional reports on the execution of the projects. However, the documents provided were, in some cases, vague.

Among the documented activities are press conferences, journalistic publications, radio interviews, television interviews, and content published on websites.

The Government asserts that no specific studies or research reports were found that validated specific activities.

While the financial documentation did include contracts, invoices, payroll records, bank statements, press conference summaries, and photographs.

The key question that the investigation must now answer is:

What tangible products were delivered in exchange for the 410 million forints of public funds?

From Budapest to Santiago: The Network Linking Orbán and Kast

The financial record takes on an international political dimension due to the role that Miklós Szánthó and the Center for Fundamental Rights have played in recent years.

The Center is one of the central organizations behind CPAC Hungary, a platform that Budapest has utilized to gather leaders, parliamentarians, think tanks, and right-wing national-conservative organizations from Europe, the United States, and Latin America.

In March 2026, during events in Santiago marking José Antonio Kast’s ascension to the Chilean Presidency, the network had a concrete expression.

A conference entitled “Freedom and Patriotism: A New Era on Both Sides of the Atlantic” was organized by the FREE Foundation along with Republican Ideas, the Center for Fundamental Rights, Foundation Disenso, CEU-CEFAS, The Heritage Foundation, and the Political Network for Values.

The event took place in Santiago on March 10, the day before Kast’s presidential inauguration.

The opening remarks were delivered by Miklós Szánthó, who stated, “Common sense prevailed in Chile with Kast’s victory”, among the panel participants was Vajk Farkas, director of the Budapest office of the Center for Fundamental Rights.

Who is Vajk Farkas?

Vajk Farkas is a jurist and leader linked to the political and intellectual ecosystem of Viktor Orbán’s government.

According to academic background, he was born in 1985, studied Law at Pázmány Péter Catholic University, and completed studies at the Centre of Political and Constitutional Studies of the Spanish Presidency Ministry between 2011 and 2012. He subsequently engaged in research activities and held various positions related to communications and international affairs.

He has held various roles, including Director of Communications for the Presidency of Hungary and International Director of the Center for Fundamental Rights.

In March 2024, he became the head of the Madrid office of the Center for Fundamental Rights, created precisely to establish a bridge between the Hungarian conservative political ecosystem and organizations and movements in Spain and Latin America.

The Center itself described Farkas’s role as a type of bridge or gateway between the Hungarian conservative ecosystem and the Ibero-American sphere.

Sources consulted by El Ciudadano state, “The declared objective of the Madrid office was to connect allies on both sides of the Atlantic, exchange experiences, and share the political strategies developed in Hungary, but there was also economic cooperation with Hungarian state money, of that, I have no doubt,” they emphasize.

In other words, Farkas is a key player in the international apparatus of the Center for Fundamental Rights.

And it was he who publicly interviewed José Antonio Kast from Chile.

Kast: “We Need People Who Can Show the Way”

In an interview conducted in Chile, Vajk Farkas addressed the newly elected Chilean president directly:

“I am here in Chile with José Antonio Kast, who became the patriotic new president of Chile with the largest number of votes in its history. José Antonio, what is your message to the Hungarian people?”

Kast’s response explicitly establishes a connection with Orbán and the Hungarian political landscape.

“I wish you much success! I want to thank friends like you, Kinga (Kinga Gál), and Prime Minister Orbán for their generosity in sharing their experiences and the methods that have worked for them.”

He then added:

“Every country decides how to implement these solutions, but we need people who can show the way and pave the way for a particular model.”

Finally, Kast closed with greetings from Chile to the Hungarian people, wishing them “strength and perseverance.”

These words are significant because the Chilean president publicly acknowledges that Orbán and his circle have shared political experiences and methods with him. And it seems likely there’s even more.

Szánthó, Kast, and the Internationalization of the Orbán Model

The connection between Szánthó and Kast extends beyond bilateral meetings or Szánthó’s visit to Santiago. They have shared spaces within the international expansion of CPAC and the political network centered in Budapest. In 2022, shortly after Kast assumed the presidency of the Political Network for Values (PNfV), that organization hosted CPAC Hungary, held under the auspices of the Center for Fundamental Rights led by Szánthó. That same year, the PNfV received the largest increase in funding from Hungary, with documents reviewed by El Mostrador indicating that the organization received 355.4 million forints.

The relationship continued subsequently within the international architecture of CPAC. Szánthó emerged as a prominent figure at CPAC Hungary and also participated in CPAC events in the United States, while Kast maintained his international activities leading the PNfV until 2024. The PNfV itself documents that Kast leveraged his presidency to promote “global and local exchange,” connect leaders, and “coordinate and articulate efforts” among organizations from different countries.

The Center for Fundamental Rights occupies a central role in that architecture.

An Investigation Just Beginning

The documents reviewed by the Government reveal sufficient irregularities to warrant presenting the details to the authorities.

Among them:

• 410 million forints in investigated grants.
• 188.5 million forints in fees for the three main leaders.
• Salaries of up to 1,574,803 forints per month for each leader.
• Absence, according to the government review, of evidence of external approval for certain salary decisions.
• A 2023 document signed by Szánthó representing both parties.
• Activity reports that, according to the Government, do not include studies or research validating specific financed products.
• A complaint regarding potential budget fraud and mismanagement.

All of this will now need to be verified and determined by the competent authorities.

However, the file raises a broader political and financial question:

The Hungarian state funded hundreds of millions of forints to an organization that, at the same time, became one of the main tools for projecting the international political model of the international far-right with Hungarian taxpayers’ money.

As Hungarian justice begins to review the destination of public funds that supported part of that structure, the connection between Budapest, Madrid, Miami, and Santiago is emerging from the shadows.

The investigation is just beginning.

El Ciudadano