Hungary foreign ministry files report on $964 million pandemic-era ventilator deals

BUDAPEST, Aug 25 - Hungary's Foreign Ministry has filed a report with prosecutors on suspected fraud and other crimes involving the 2020 purchase of ventilators during the COVID-19 pandemic under the previous government, Foreign Minister Anita Orban said on Tuesday.• The report on the purchase of nearly 17,000 ventilators worth a combined 300 billion forints ($963.82 million) says the ministry bought thousands of surplus ventilators that could not be used realistically at inflated prices, Orban told reporters.• Press officials for former right-wing ruling party Fidesz did not immediately respond to emailed questions seeking comment.• Orban says an internal audit at the ministry could recover only what she described as a partial picture of pandemic-era purchases as some files and documentation had to be recovered electronically.• The ministry has filed a report with prosecutors based on 88 gigabytes of information, or 130,000 recovered files.• Orban says the number of ventilators purchased by the foreign ministry far exceeded the number of doctors, intensive care nurses and hospital beds that could accommodate and operate them.• Most ventilators purchased in 2020 still are stored in warehouses, Orban said.• Orban said import- and tax-authority figures show that the purchased ventilators were from Hungarian vendors at prices significantly above factory prices. REUTERS