A former far-right Hungarian MEP was sentenced by the Supreme Court on Tuesday for spying for Moscow, where he now lives.
"
The Court declared the defendant guilty (...) of spying against the institutions of the European Union
", according to the judgment consulted by AFP.
Bela Kovacs is accused of having worked "
for the interests of Russia and (to) weaken EU policy
" between 2012 and 2014, according to the indictment cited by the press.
He also reportedly worked for Russian military intelligence.
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The Supreme Court also upheld his conviction for “
tax evasion
” and “
falsification of documents resulting in financial harm
”.
He is accused of having signed "
fictitious
" internship contracts to the financial detriment of the European Parliament.
A total sentence of five years in prison was pronounced against him.
This former member of the nationalist Jobbik party, now 62, left his party shortly after the revelations.
He sat in the European Parliament between 2010 and 2019. Bela Kovacs, who denies the allegations, followed the case from Moscow where he fled after the first instance trial in 2020 and teaches international relations, according to the Magyar Nemzet daily.
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Nicknamed by the local press "
KGBela
" in reference to his alleged links with the Russian secret services, he says he is "
a victim of political attacks
" orchestrated by Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
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