MILLIONS FOR DOMESTIC PHOTOGRAPHERS

Not only Gábor Juhász, state secretary of the Ministry of the Interior has a special photographer but other ministries have also contracted photographers for domestic purposes, Magyar Nemzet has been informed.

The Ministry of Informatics led by Kálmán Kovács (Free Democrat) employs a photographer for a monthly HUF 1 million (plus V.A.T.), János Kóka, Minister of Economy has a photographer for a monthly HUF 150 000 (plus V.A.T.), the Ministry of Justice pays HUF 100 000 while Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány is photographed for a monthly gross HUF 760 000 from the taxpayers’ money. The Ministry of Informatics concluded a contract with Blendair deposit company on August 18 and the company has to document and archive digitally all the important events of the ministry until May, 2006 for net HUF 9.4 million but the website of the ministry does not give details of the commission. The contract has been contested by a rival bidder referring to the fact that the winner had not included in the company registry its profile to make photos and video recordings.

Translated by Péter Szentmihályi Szabó