György Simonka

Prosecutors accuse former Fidesz MP György Simonka and 33 co-defendants of running a criminal organization that caused roughly HUF 1.4 billion in damages through fraud involving EU agricultural subsidies for vegetable and fruit producer groups. The first-instance trial has been underway at the Budapest Metropolitan Court since January 2020 and has been repeatedly delayed by successive changes of presiding judge, with no final verdict six years on. Although prosecutors describe Simonka as the organizer of the criminal enterprise, he is formally only the third-listed defendant. According to joint January 2026 reporting by 444 and Telex, the defendants — including Simonka himself, his wife, and a niece — collectively received HUF 442 million in non-repayable agricultural subsidies since the trial began in 2020, even while standing accused of improperly obtaining similar subsidies. Simonka was elected mayor of Pusztaottlaka in 2024. The case has not been finally adjudicated — conviction or acquittal remains an open question, and this entry documents it explicitly as a contested, pending case.