Former Minister János Lázár illegally built a tennis court and a solar farm next to his mansion

Former construction minister János Lázár has been fined nearly HUF 13 million (EUR 35,850) by the forestry authority over structures built without permission in a forest next to his estate near Batida, southern Hungary. The case concerns not only a tennis court previously uncovered by Átlátszó, but also roads, landscaped areas, ponds, a solar park and two agricultural buildings. The authorities ordered the affected area to be restored.

Lázár, a former minister of Viktor Orbán’s government who recently announced his departure from politics, disclosed the fine himself on Facebook. He suggested the decision was politically motivated, saying the ruling had been issued because of who he was. At the same time, he acknowledged that he had failed to apply for permits. According to Lázár, forestry officials had told him years ago that permits were unnecessary for facilities serving forestry activities. He said he had therefore built roads, timber storage areas, warehouses and an office in the forest. He also confirmed that Grosswiese Zrt., a company linked to him, had constructed the tennis court with his consent on land he personally owns.

Tennis court built without a permit

We first reported on the tennis court in December 2025. The court was built in 2022 near Lázár’s hunting lodge in Batida, on land classified as forest. Under Hódmezővásárhely’s local building regulations, construction in this zone is tightly restricted, and a tennis court does not qualify as a facility serving nature conservation purposes. After we repeatedly questioned the authorities, the government office confirmed in May 2026 that an official procedure was under way.

Following Lázár’s Facebook post, we asked the Bács-Kiskun County Government Office for details. The office replied:

“Our Government Office conducted an official investigation into the use of the affected forest areas and the treeless sections of forest in Hódmezővásárhely. The forestry authority ordered the client to remedy the conditions resulting from the unauthorized use of the area subject to the proceedings—including the placement of the following structures:

roads, a tennis court, landscaped areas, ponds and their surroundings, a solar farm, and two farm buildings—

and to ensure their restoration. The forestry authority also ordered the owner and forest manager to pay a forest protection fine of HUF 12,935,250 (EUR 35,463) for the unauthorized use of the affected forest parcels and other areas.”

In other words, János Lázár built not only a tennis court but also other facilities without a permit in the forest next to his castle. On his social media page, he is trying to portray the fine imposed on him by the authorities for this as an act of political retaliation.

Lázár argues that he caused no deliberate damage and is seeking to legalize the situation through land registry procedures and retrospective permits. The authority’s decision, however, establishes that several facilities around the Batida estate were created through unauthorised use of forest land and must now be removed or the land restored.