Giorgio Jackson Warns: «This Looks Very Bad for Orbán’s Circle, a Key International Partner of President Kast»

Original article: Giorgio Jackson: «Esto pinta muy mal para el círculo de Orbán, uno de los socios internacionales del Pdte Kast»

«This looks very bad for the circle of (Viktor) Orbán, one of the international partners of President Kast», stated former Minister of Social Development, Giorgio Jackson, following reports that the Hungarian Prime Minister’s Office has filed a complaint for possible offenses of budget fraud and mismanagement after discovering irregularities involving 410 million forints (1.2 million dollars) allocated to the Center for Fundamental Rights, led by Miklós Szánthó, who is considered a crucial link between José Antonio Kast and the international far-right.

The former Secretary of State shared this message on his social media account on X, referencing the report titled «Hungarian Justice Pursues Miklós Szánthó for Fraud, a Key Link for Kast in the International Far-Right Agenda», developed by the El Ciudadano Investigation Team.

Jackson emphasized the need for clarification of the case, as well as the modus operandi and influence of this network associated with the current head of state.

«I hope everything is investigated to trace every branch of this international far-right network,» he wrote.

The Prime Minister’s Office lodged a complaint after reviewing state grants awarded between 2021 and 2024 to Jogállam és Igazság Nonprofit Kft., the entity managing the Center for Fundamental Rights (Alapjogokért Központ), led by Miklós Szánthó. The goal is to determine whether budget fraud and mismanagement occurred regarding the allocation of 410 million forints.

The filing does not imply that Szánthó has been formally accused or convicted; it is now up to the authorities to assess whether a crime took place and who might be responsible.

The review uncovered 188.5 million forints (approximately 576 thousand dollars) in fees for the three main leaders: Szánthó, Gergely István Kovács, and Péter Törcsi. Each is said to have received 1,431,639 forints monthly, a figure that increased to 1,574,803 forints in June 2023. According to the Government, there is no record of external approval or oversight of these salary decisions. These fees account for 46% of the 410 million forints under investigation, marking a significant irregularity in the case.

Notably, a 2023 agreement shows Miklós Szánthó signing for both parties, acting as both contractor and contracted. Additionally, beneficiaries were required to submit professional reports on project execution, but the submitted documents were described as «general» and, according to the Government, did not include studies or research substantiating specific funded activities. Recorded activities include press conferences, radio and television interviews, and web content.

The central question of the investigation is: «What products were actually delivered in exchange for the 410 million forints of public funds?«

Connection Between Miklós Szánthó and José Antonio Kast

Miklós Szánthó is not an ordinary leader; he heads the Center for Fundamental Rights, one of the central think tanks of Viktor Orbán’s government, and has turned Hungary into a hub for international far-right coordination. He is among the figures behind CPAC Hungary, a platform that gathers leaders, parliamentarians, and national-conservative organizations from Europe, the United States, and Latin America. His connection to José Antonio Kast has been documented.

The Center for Fundamental Rights is part of the international network tied to the Political Network for Values (PNfV), an organization that was presided over by Kast from March 2022 to 2024. Documents obtained by El Mostrador confirm that the PNfV received over 405 million forints from Orbán’s Government between 2020 and 2024, including a disbursement of 355.4 million forints in 2022, the year Kast assumed the presidency.

In 2022, the PNfV hosted CPAC Hungary, held under the auspices of the Center led by Szánthó.

In March 2026, Szánthó participated in Santiago at the conference titled «Freedom and Patriotism: A New Era on Both Sides of the Atlantic,» held a day before the inauguration of the far-right leader.

On this occasion, he stated: «Common sense prevailed in Chile with Kast’s victory», who in turn thanked Orbán «for his generosity in sharing his experiences and methods that have worked for them.» «We need people who can show the way,» he emphasized.

As highlighted in the El Ciudadano report, the investigation has only just begun and will need to cross-check documents and determine responsibilities in what constitutes the internationalization of the Orbán model with Hungarian state funds.