In May 2019, a group of Hungarian friends traveled to Berlin to watch Hertha BSC play a league match that doubled as a farewell game for Hungarian coach Pál Dárdai.
Among the attendees was Márton Nobilis, who at the time held a powerful senior position at Hungary’s Ministry of Agriculture.
The trip has gained new relevance because one of Nobilis’s companions later became a defendant in a criminal case involving the ministry. Prosecutors allege that two law firms received 2.2 billion forints (€5.7 million) from a ministry-owned company between March and June 2019 without performing meaningful work.
The companion in question led one of the implicated law firms. His firm covered the airfare for the three-day Berlin trip and arranged complimentary match tickets through Dárdai. The two other travelers were reportedly lawyers involved in work that prosecutors later described as fictitious.
The timing is notable: the trip occurred just weeks after the firms received the first installment of hundreds of millions of forints.
Details emerged during ongoing criminal proceedings that have been underway for several years. Although Márton Nobilis is not charged, the judge’s questions suggest the court is interested in what he may know and in his relationship with the defendants.
Nobilis’s background has also drawn attention due to his long-standing ties within Fidesz circles. His father, billionaire Kristóf Nobilis, is likewise well connected. Since the 2010 change of government, Márton has held several government roles. In 2014, János Lázár appointed him to oversee state advertising spending, and in 2018 he became chief of staff at the Ministry of Agriculture.
Responding to questions about the Berlin trip, Nobilis said he and his colleagues had attended many football matches together in Hungary and abroad, stressing that the outings were purely about sport and involved no political or business discussions.
Meanwhile, his father Kristóf Nobilis has been charged in the same broader case. Prosecutors allege that some of the improperly paid funds ultimately reached an offshore company linked to him.
Investigative reporting by Direkt36 also found additional connections between Kristóf Nobilis’s companies and the Ministry of Agriculture: between 2018 and 2022, his firms won tenders worth nearly 730 million forints (€1.9 million).
Márton Nobilis said he was unaware of his father applying for grants during the relevant period and emphasized that, as chief of staff, he had no authority to evaluate applications or make financial decisions. Direkt36 likewise found no proof that he influenced the tenders.
The criminal trial, underway in Székesfehérvár since spring 2023, centers on contracts worth 2.2 billion forints awarded by the ministry’s company Nemzeti Kataszteri Program Nkft. to two law firms.
According to the indictment, the firms delivered no meaningful work, and investigators noted that the submitted materials could have been produced quickly and contained formatting irregularities and spelling errors.
Although Nobilis is not among the defendants, the court continues examining whether he may have had any involvement.