Former Finance Minister Janos Veres on Thursday denied that several state-owned chateaus would be sold to a French investor.
In response to a reporter’s question, Veres said that still as Finance Minister, he had held talks with French investors regarding chateaus, but ownership was never offered, only management rights. The management rights would be offered for a period of several decades, he added.
Veres said that it was in Hungary’s interest to draw in foreign funds for the much-needed reconstruction of monuments and the investment would also create jobs.
Thursday’s issue of national weekly Heti Valasz reported that ten chateaus, among them the Esterhazy in Tata (W), the Karolyi in Fuzerradvany (NE) and the Festetics in Deg (SW), were being offered to French firms who have plans to convert them into a hotel chain. The article charged that there were discrepancies in the procurement procedures.
On Tuesday, House Speaker Katalin Szili said such landmark bulidings should not be sold off.
I hope this is not true! If it is,then I am really angry….and another crime against Hungary and it’s people of this government.
Should not the government be able to answer this simple question of ‘management’ vs ‘sale’ if they have a procurement process? And if it is just management, then isn’t it the right word ‘tender’ not ‘procure’?
Mother fu_king Frogs, some Mngolian hotel chain should go to their dreary Frogland and “convert” Chateau Versailles to a Motel 6.