Propaganda whistleblower reported smear campaign operations to police, but became the only known suspect

Ágnes Forgács, a former employee of the pro-government tabloid Ripost, publicly exposed a political surveillance and smear campaign operation targeting opponents of Viktor Orbán’s government in an interview with Atlatszo in May 2026. Documents obtained by our newsroom now reveal that she also filed a criminal complaint and provided investigators with detailed testimony and electronic evidence. Yet in September, police questioned Forgács as a suspect, while there is no publicly available information indicating that the people she identified as organisers or commissioners of the operations have faced similar charges.

In a nearly two-hour video interview published in May, Forgács described how a political operations team within Mediaworks, Hungary’s largest pro-government media conglomerate, collected private information about political opponents, conducted covert surveillance, and used the material to produce defamatory media campaigns.

According to Forgács, the operations were directed by Miklós Ómolnár, the founder of Ripost, who allegedly received dossiers, photographs and personal information from sources connected to the former government’s political and intelligence networks.

Among the targets were Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony, Budapest Public Utilities CEO Imre Mártha, former opposition politician Péter Jakab, and Dávid Korányi. Forgács said she finally refused to participate in the surveillance of Péter Magyar, who subsequently became prime minister, and the journalist resigned from Ripost in 2024.

Our latest investigation is based on police interrogation records obtained by Atlatszo, which shed new light on both the alleged surveillance network and the criminal investigations launched after our revelations.

Whistleblower also filed a criminal complaint

Until now, it was not publicly known that Forgács herself had reported the alleged wrongdoing to the authorities shortly after her interview with Atlatszo. She filed a criminal complaint on suspicion of abuse of official authority. On 26 May 2026, the military prosecution service transferred the case to the Budapest police, citing a lack of jurisdiction.

On 9 July, Forgács was questioned as a witness by the police department investigating corruption-related offences.

According to the interrogation record obtained by Atlatszo, she identified people allegedly involved in directing and carrying out the operations, described the methods used, and provided information extending beyond her original interview.

She also submitted electronic files that she said had been circulated within the Mediaworks operation. One dossier concerning Mártha contained personal information, photographs and images obtained from his restricted-access social media accounts.

According to Forgács, only three people had access to these sensitive files: herself, Miklós Ómolnár and his son, Donát Ómolnár. She forwarded the electronic documents to the investigator during her questioning.

These files could provide crucial evidence about who compiled the dossiers and how they reached pro-government media employees. However, the interrogation records do not reveal whether police examined their origins or what conclusions they reached.

Alleged connections to government and intelligence circles

Forgács also described an unusual incident from January 2022, when Ómolnár introduced her to an unidentified man who appeared to have access to detailed information about her private life.

The man reportedly warned her that she was in danger and knew the route she usually took home. Following the encounter, Mediaworks arranged temporary accommodation for her in a hotel. Forgács suspected that the individual might have connections to intelligence services, although his identity and role have not been established.

In her police testimony, she also repeated allegations concerning Ómolnár’s government connections. According to her account, Ómolnár frequently referred to Örs Farkas, a former government official who held positions connected to the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office and the supervision of civilian intelligence services.

Farkas has previously denied preparing intelligence dossiers or supplying such material to the media. Neither Ómolnár nor Mediaworks responded to our questions about the allegations.

From complainant to criminal suspect

Despite voluntarily reporting the alleged wrongdoing and cooperating with investigators,

Forgács was summoned to the police again on 18 September 2026, this time as a suspect.

According to the second interrogation record obtained by Atlatszo, she was formally suspected of misuse of personal data and defamation in connection with the surveillance and media attacks targeting Imre Mártha.

The investigation followed a criminal complaint filed by Mártha after our May interview. Police suspect that Forgács participated in monitoring Mártha over several months in 2021, photographing him without permission and gathering information subsequently used in defamatory articles.

Forgács acknowledged helping identify Mártha’s residence and taking some photographs but disputed the allegation that she had continuously monitored him. She maintained that she had acted on Ómolnár’s instructions and that the final articles had been written by Ómolnár himself.

During questioning, Forgács expressed regret, apologised to Mártha, and agreed to participate in a possible mediation procedure. She did not challenge the formal notification of suspicion.

The alleged organisers have not been publicly identified as suspects

Crucially, Mártha’s criminal complaint did not target Forgács alone. In his submission to the Budapest Chief Prosecutor’s Office on 26 May 2026, Mártha named other individuals mentioned in our investigation and requested scrutiny of the alleged organisers and commissioners of the surveillance operations.

His complaint raised suspicions of unlawful use of covert investigative methods, abuse of official authority and offences potentially committed as part of a criminal organisation.

Nevertheless, according to information released by the Budapest Chief Prosecutor’s Office on 13 October, only one person had been questioned as a suspect for misuse of personal data and defamation. The only publicly identifiable suspect is Forgács herself.

It remains unclear whether investigators have questioned the alleged organisers, examined the electronic documents Forgács submitted, or investigated the possible involvement of officials connected to the former government. The status of Forgács’s own criminal complaint concerning suspected abuse of official authority is also unknown.

The case raises an important question about the scope of the investigation: will authorities examine only the actions of individual journalists who participated in surveillance and smear campaigns, or will they also investigate those who allegedly organised, directed and commissioned the operations?

If Forgács’s allegations are substantiated, the surveillance of Mártha was not simply an isolated initiative by tabloid journalists, but part of a coordinated operation serving political interests. For now, the only publicly identified suspect is the former insider who came forward, admitted her involvement, and provided investigators with evidence about the alleged operation.

Written by Tamás Bodoky. The english summary was prepared with the assistance of artificial intelligence. The original Hungarian version of the story can be found here. Cover photo by Bence Bodoky