The state secretary reported that some applicants arrived at consulates unaware of the procedure they were undergoing, while others described their citizenship as an arranged premium service.
Velkey stated that consulates accepted these applications based on letters of support from then Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén, overriding professional warnings from diplomats who flagged the cases as irregular.
The intermediary firm, Hungarian Citizenship Consulting, was reportedly founded by an official responsible for state naturalization programs and a diaspora leader who issued recommendation letters, creating what Velkey called a striking conflict of interest.
He added that similar schemes may have operated elsewhere and that the government is now reviewing whether the affected citizenships can be revoked and what legal steps should follow.
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