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Lorinc Meszaros (right), the former gas fitter from Felcsut, has become Hungary's richest man in five years, with a fortune estimated at €1.3bn, thanks to his friendship with PM Viktor Orban (left).
Hungary’s most powerful oligarch says he is just a lightning rod for attacks on Orban
bne IntelliNews
Hungary’s richest man Lorinc Meszaros has defended his rise to the top and fended off criticism that his wealth comes from his friendship with Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
In a rare interview to Index.hu, the former gas fitter from Felcsut, the home village of the prime minister, said the opposition was using him to attack the radical rightwing government. Seen
as the symbol of a corrupt regime, Hungary’s opposition is putting Meszaros at the centre of its campaign in what promises to be the closest elections since 2002.
The 100 richest Hungarians list by business site Napi.hu showed that
Meszaros has amassed HUF455bn (€1.3bn) in wealth, dethroning Sandor Csanyi, chairman-CEO of CEE’s leading lender OTP Bank, who topped the ranking for the past 10 years.
Meszaros’ worth jumped from HUF7bn in 2014 to HUF270bn before the pandemic. Last year alone his net worth grew by HUF185bn, more than Rafael Nadal earned in his entire carrier, independent media points out.
The contrast is even more shocking when going back before 2010, when the radical rightwing party of Viktor Orban was still in opposition and Meszaros was running his gas fitting business with
a few employees.
Meszaros claimed that his business success has little to do with the ruling Fidesz government in place since 2010. "The opposition is using me as a tool to attack the government”, he claimed.
"I have managed to do well under other governments as well", he said.
However, the numbers show otherwise, according to fact-checking of the interview by liberal HVG. In 2008, he made just €19,200 at a time when the average EUR/HUF rate was 260.
It is mostly public contracts that have catapulted the 55-year-old to the top of the business elite, as the most powerful businessman in Hungary, yet he tries to downplay the importance of this.