MANIPULATED STATISTICAL DATA?

’There is a sensible political interference in the work of the Central Office of Statistics’, said Tamás Mellár, chairman of the Office dismissed last November.

According to Mr Mellár the recently published favourable report on Hungarian economy has been supported by unjustified statistical corrections. The economic growth has been pointed out by incorrect statistical methods urged by political interference. Mr Mellár was dismissed without any official explanation and he won a labour lawsuit on first grade against the Office. He said the figures of economic growth have been manipulated in the case of the industrial development, too. The predicted figure was a maximal 5,8 pc while the present 6,4 pc has been subsequently massaged.

Translated by Péter Szentmihályi Szabó