EditDance school, golden visas, public subsidies: suspicious Orbán era links uncovered
The case illustrates overlapping networks of cultural funding, business ties, and political connections that persisted in the later years of the Orbán era
A journalistic investigation by EUalive’s partner Átlátszó has revealed suspicious business connections and substantial public funding awarded during the Viktor Orbán era, linking a popular Hungarian spectacle theatre company to a Bulgarian businesswoman tied to one of the country’s most controversial residency bond schemes.
Attraction Performances Kft., the company behind the well-known Attraction shadow and black-light theater, received nearly 300 million HUF (approx. €845,000) from the National Cultural Fund (NKA) for performances in the first half of 2026. This sum is unusually large – the company’s previous financial reports show annual spending never exceeded 130 million HUF (approx. €366,000).
Ties to the controversial residency bond program
The theatre’s owners, Szűcs Zoltán László and Szűcsné Varga Éva Nikoletta, also hold stakes in Residency Tanácsadó és Szolgáltató Kft., where their partner is Bulgarian national Balogh Radosztina. Balogh is the owner of Arton Capital Kft., a key intermediary in Hungary’s now-defunct residency bond (“golden visa”) program.
Why Arton Capital was linked to a mysterious criminal case
The residency bond program (2013–2017) allowed non-EU citizens to obtain Hungarian (and thus EU) residency by purchasing special government bonds, typically for around €300,000. Instead of selling the bonds directly, the Hungarian government used private intermediary companies – including Arton Capital – which earned significant commissions (at least €29,000–€50,000 per bond).
The program was plagued by opacity: many intermediaries were mysterious offshore entities, vetting was weak, and critics alleged it enabled corruption, money laundering, and even residency for individuals with criminal ties. The Hungarian state reportedly lost tens of billions of forints (estimates range from €66–93 million or more) because it repurchased the bonds at full value after five years while intermediaries pocketed large fees.
Arton Capital’s case became particularly notorious in 2017 when its Budapest offices were allegedly burglarized. A safe containing €1.9 million in cash and a computer with sensitive data on the bond program were reported stolen. Police sources and investigative journalists strongly suspected a staged “self-burglary” to destroy records or cover irregularities. The investigation reportedly stalled with no breakthroughs, adding to the program’s shroud of secrecy. Arton was also the only intermediary with publicly known owners and eventually gained exclusive global selling rights in suspicious circumstances.
Legal documents related to the Szűcs couple’s company acquisition were handled by the law firm of Kertész József Tamás, widely known as the attorney for oligarch Mészáros Lőrinc.
Lőrinc Mészáros is a Hungarian billionaire businessman, former gas fitter, and childhood friend of Viktor Orbán, widely regarded as the country’s most powerful oligarch who built a vast business empire – primarily through public contracts – making him Hungary’s richest person with an estimated wealth exceeding €2.5 billion.
Acquisition and political connections
The Szűcs couple and Balogh acquired Attraction Performances Kft. in mid-2024 from a group dominated by SBI Promotion Kft., controlled by the Buranits siblings (especially Buranits Ildikó). Buranits Ildikó is a longtime business partner of Kaminsky Fanny, best known as the manager of Prime Minister Orbán Viktor’s Facebook page and a key figure in his media and campaign operations. Kaminsky and Buranits have collaborated since Rogán Antal’s time as Budapest mayor and jointly own a communications consultancy.
In responses to Átlátszó, the Szűcs couple denied any political influence on the grant. They stated that Attraction has operated successfully on a market basis for over 20 years, highlighted international performances (including as a gift at the wedding of the former Kazakh president’s grandchild), and claimed they know Balogh through her child’s artistic activities. They said the Residency company was intended for a children’s dance school and that they do not know attorney Kertész. However, the company’s registered activities (business consulting and medical service mediation) do not clearly align with a dance school.
The new government suspended NKA grant payments on 19 May.
The article in Hungarian by EUalive’s partner Átlátszó can be found here.
Caption: Zoltán Szűcs. Facebook / Attraction Performance Theatre [Átlátszó]
Updated: June 3, 2026 - 10:58
