EU Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi is facing renewed scrutiny after a leaked European Commission document indicated that Hungary's Permanent Representation operated a spy ring during his tenure as Hungary's permanent representative.
Last October, several media outlets reported that Hungary's Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels had allegedly run a network of intelligence officers posing as diplomats, who targeted Hungarian nationals working at the Commission between 2012 and 2018.
Várhelyi was drawn into the investigation because he served as Hungary's ambassador to the EU between 2015 and 2019, which overlapped with part of the period under scrutiny. He was later nominated as EU Commissioner by then-Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Várhelyi has denied any knowledge of the spy network.
The document, seen by Euronews, is signed by Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin and informs members of the European Parliament of the findings of an internal investigation into the spying allegations.
