00:07Dramatic footage of a confrontation with security forces.
00:12The Hungarian opposition politician's car is rammed, and the attacker's vehicle flips over.
00:19The scene is symbolic for present-day Hungary.
00:23Anyone who gets close to Viktor Orbán's inner circle risks more than just a political dispute.
00:29Exposing the Orbán family's wealth to the public can be life-threatening.
00:34I know them, too. Some of them are quite normal people, but there was the one guy who punctured our
00:40tires.
00:43Security guards follow opposition politician Akos Hodhazy wherever he goes,
00:48as soon as he comes anywhere near the Orbán family's estate.
00:52The reason lies hidden behind high walls and fences.
00:56It was only by chance that he discovered the huge estate, which was meant to remain hidden from view.
01:04Behind the walls, shielded by security guards, lies a lavish, newly built mansion
01:09that officially belongs to the father of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
01:14According to Akos Hodhazy, it was built with embezzled tax money.
01:19Rarely does the Orbán family display its wealth so openly.
01:29Officially, Orbán is a very poor man.
01:31He has no money, he has no assets.
01:35His assets are held by other people, family and friends.
01:40We can only estimate the value of that wealth.
01:45But one thing is clear.
01:47The assets that are visible are worth several billion euros.
01:53Viktor Orbán has been in office for 16 years now and governs the country in an authoritarian manner.
02:00During this time in power, his family, friends and close party allies have become very wealthy.
02:05Orbán has long been presiding over a state oligarchy.
02:10The Financial Times found that just 13 individuals in Orbán's inner circle secured 28 billion euros worth of government contracts.
02:19One of the biggest beneficiaries, Orbán's childhood friend, Lorenz Messaroz.
02:24The former gas-fitter is now the richest man in Hungary.
02:29He made his billions through what appeared to be cleverly manipulated bids rigged in his favour, combined with inflated bids.
02:37He awarded the contracts for the supply of building materials to Viktor Orbán's father.
02:44The majority of the funding for the construction projects comes from the European Union budget.
02:55Viktor Orbán's son-in-law, István Tiborz, also became a wealthy man through government contracts.
03:02He owns numerous properties in prime locations across the country.
03:07Among them, the famous Gellert Hotel, right on the Danube in the center of Budapest.
03:15Daniel Freund, a member of the European Parliament's Committee on Budgetary Control, has done the math.
03:22Since Orbán has been in power, the EU has sent 80 billion euros to Hungary.
03:28And corruption experts estimate that at least a quarter of that 20 billion euros has been stolen,
03:35specifically by Orbán's son-in-law, his school friend, and his father.
03:39That's the circle of people who have siphoned off the money for Orbán.
03:45The MEP is a member of a non-partisan EU delegation that investigated allegations of corruption in Budapest.
03:52Following days of talks with representatives of the Hungarian government,
03:56billions of euros in EU funds were frozen.
03:59Another German MEP, Monika Hohlmeier, met with foreign business leaders behind closed doors.
04:04They told her about cases of coercion, extortion and expropriation.
04:10The companies said they'd had visits from intelligence agencies and were being subjected to hundreds of inspections,
04:17while also being met with completely absurd requirements.
04:21And every time you look at the background, you get the impression that yet another friendly oligarch is benefiting.
04:28The most prominent victim of Orbán's economic policies is Vodafone.
04:32Following a massive tax hike, the company was forced to sell its Hungarian operations to a local oligarch.
04:39Another case?
04:40Through special tariffs and mandated production restrictions,
04:44foreign companies in the construction industry were forced to cede market share to Orbán allies.
04:50Most business owners remain silent about these incidents.
04:57This Austrian entrepreneur has had enough, however.
05:00He sold motorcycles in Hungary and ran a repair shop.
05:04To that end, he built a commercial building about 140 kilometers west of Budapest.
05:09After several successful years, he suddenly began receiving exorbitant electricity bills totalling around 20,000 euros.
05:17At the same time, he was declared bankrupt by a liquidator.
05:20A gang of thugs took care of the rest.
05:27It was July 2017.
05:30Fifteen men, some of them armed, showed up early in the morning,
05:33forced their way into the building,
05:35compelled our employees to leave,
05:37and then blocked all the entrances with chains.
05:39That was the last time I was there.
05:41After I was personally threatened with violence, I stopped going there myself.
05:47For the best part of a decade,
05:49he's been trying to bring the masterminds behind this cold expropriation to justice in Hungarian courts.
05:55And he has a hunch who the perpetrators behind the scenes are.
06:03These are local power brokers who have significantly increased their influence over the past 16 years,
06:10due to links with the Orbán government.
06:15They've been able to conduct their business here unhindered with the help of public institutions,
06:21such as the courts, government agencies, and the tax authorities.
06:28In many industries in Hungary, it's a case of might is right.
06:32The Austrian entrepreneur's commercial building is estimated to be worth around 500,000 euros.
06:38So who owns it now?
06:40It's business as usual in the store and the workshop,
06:43but no-one here is willing to comment on the ownership situation.
06:48No videos, please.
06:54Corruption and the uncertain legal framework in the country
06:57are making Hungary increasingly unattractive to foreign investors,
07:01especially small and medium-sized enterprises.
07:04The country ranks among the lowest in Eastern Europe in terms of economic growth,
07:08and the business climate is at rock bottom.
07:11If you see every day that the people who succeed are those who can establish closing up connections
07:15to the political elite,
07:17and not those who work hard, who are talented, who study very hard,
07:21then that just undermines long-term economic growth very deeply.
07:27But Viktor Orban does have plenty of supporters.
07:34To rally voters behind him,
07:36he devises foreign enemies during the campaign.
07:39On the one hand, there's the European Union.
07:43On the other, Ukraine, which is under attack by Russia.
07:46Not a word about corruption and nepotism within his own ranks.
07:50His supporters like that.
07:56I have absolutely no problem with Orban.
07:59I have nothing negative to say.
08:02I don't see people starving here.
08:03Everything's fine.
08:06There's too much wealth in private hands.
08:08Criminal activity within the ruling party isn't being properly investigated.
08:12A lot is being swept under the rug.
08:16Peter Morja is the leader of the Tissot Party
08:18and is ahead in the election polls.
08:21He presents himself as pro-European
08:23and promises to fight corruption.
08:26A victory for him would mark a fresh start after the Orban era.
08:30The election campaign is being fought with hard-walled tactics.
08:34According to some Hungarian media reports,
08:37Orban is even using intelligence agencies to discredit his opponent.
08:46Morja's slogan, now or never.
08:50This is Hungary's last chance to become an honourable country again.
08:56I'm done with this old system. What's happening here is a nightmare. I see MĂłgyart as the only
09:02chance for things to change. This election finds Hungary at a crossroads. Either it continues down
09:10the same path with Orbán and his system of corruption, oligarchs and cronyism, or it makes
09:16a fresh start as a pro-European country, re-establishing the rule of law and ushering
09:21in a new generation of politicians.
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