Staff Reporter
THE son-in-law of Hungary’s president was seen cruising the roads of Marbella in a €600k Ferrari fuelling ongoing allegations that Viktor Orbán has used his presidency to enrich his family.
István Tiborcz has risen through the ranks of Hungry’s wealthiest people according to the country´s latest edition of Forbes Magazine.
Marbella itself, has long been a playground for the rich and famous.
German heiress Gunilla von Bismarck calls the Costa del sol town her adopted home, with even a street named after her. Eva Longoria lives in Marbella when she’s not off shooting TV shows around the world. Rod Stewart, Bruce Willis and Antonia Banderas have all wined and dined there.
The seaside town is also a hotspot of Mafia activities, where mobsters mingle amongst the millionaires. Three Camorra gangsters from Camorra, the mafia syndicate in Naples, were arrested earlier this year.
According to the Spanish Intelligence Centre for Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime, there are at least 113 criminal groups representing 59 different nationalities operating out of the area in 2022.
“It’s a UN of criminals for a globalised world. Marbella is a tourist brand, but it’s also a criminal brand,” a senior National police agent investigating organise crime told The Guardian.
The SF90 Spider Ferrari is but one part of a long-list of assets owned by Tiborcz and his Orbán clan.
President Viktor Orbán has been amassing luxury hotels and prime real estate, said Budapest-born investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi, ‘like collecting trophies.’
READ MORE: Spain’s far-right Vox party investigated for corruption after getting millions of euros from donations and Hungarian bank
One such hotel is the famous Hotel Gellért next to Hungary’s famous Turkish baths.
Panyi also discovered Orbán’s government had directed Finish PM Petteri Orpo and his delegation to stay at Hotel Dorothea, owned by Tiborcz.
Journalists working for Hungarian investigative journalism center Direkt36 recently infiltrated Tiborcz´s private, members-only club in Budapest’s foothills. Recorded footage captured talk about illegal gambling and mafia-themed parties.
Orbán himself owns an extensive family estate known as Hatvanpuszta, featuring an exotic wild animal collection, which homes zebras.
Hungary faces international scrutiny and sits under a spotlight of questions on corruption.
Earlier this year, the US placed sanctions on senior Hungarian government official Antal Rogán for his alleged involvement in corruption.
Rogán is a key figure in Orbán’s government and he’s been accused of using his favourable position to broker business deals with government-aligned business people.
“For too long, senior government officials in Hungary have used positions of power to enrich themselves and their families, moving significant funds from the public purse into private pockets,” US Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman said during a news conference.
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