Investigations against former Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Várhelyi closed, EU acquits him of charges

The European Commission has closed its internal investigation into a suspected Hungarian espionage ring in Brussels, clearing Hungarian Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi of all charges.

According to the official announcement, the investigation found no evidence to individually implicate Várhely or any other member of the European Commission staff in the suspected intelligence activities.

The case related to reports published in October that Hungary's Permanent Representation to the European Union had run a network of intelligence officers posing as diplomats who targeted Hungarian staff of European institutions between 2012 and 2018.

According to reports, the operatives were seeking sensitive information related to Hungary and attempting to recruit Hungarian EU officials.

European Commission spokesman Balázs Ujvári stated that the investigation found no evidence that any official had been successfully recruited.

"Based on the information gathered during the investigation and the tools we have at our disposal, it is not possible to attribute individual responsibility beyond the intelligence officers themselves," he said.

Várhelyi was implicated in the investigation after serving as Hungary's ambassador to the EU from 2015 to 2019, a period that partly overlapped with the alleged activities. He was then appointed European Commissioner by former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Várhelyi himself had previously denied any knowledge of the suspected espionage network and, according to media reports, had told European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that he was unaware of such activities.

The Commission's decision comes just a day before the new Hungarian Prime Minister, Péter Magyar, takes office following his victory in last month's elections.

Relations between Budapest and Brussels have been tense for years due to clashes over the rule of law, democracy and media freedom in Hungary.

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