Ministry of Foreign Affairs must publish employees’ names, verdict says

According to Hungarian laws, ministries are obliged to publish their recent personnel changes in every issue of Magyar Közlöny, governmental judiciary monthly. Unlike other ministries, Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been only publishing statistical reviews on their manpower changes, what does not comply with the law. Atlatszo.hu filed a freedom of information request to the ministry. They refused to respond so we took legal actions. At the first-degree hearing the ministry came up with some ridiculous reasons to justify their offence against the law. First they claimed that they do not have lists about their officials earning public money. Then they tried to prove that publishing their labour force’s data could be used by foreign secret services. The Budapest Metropolitan Court did not believe these lame excuses, so according to the first- degree verdict the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has to obey the law, the lists of their employees and changes within manpower must be published.