According to unconfirmed reports, the reason behind the dismissal was Szombathy’s unwillingness to fire three influential veteran staff members of the daily, even though owner Gábor Széles instructed him to do so. The journalists in question were reportedly associate editor Gizella Popovics and publicists Julianna R. Székely and László Szále.
The three were fired shortly after Szombathy’s removal, index.hu said.