Hungary’s richest man Lorinc Meszaros has been spotted on a €70mn yacht, Rose d’Or, along the shores of southern Italy, according to pictures first published on 444.hu.

Meszaros, a former gas fitter from Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s home village, has had a rapid rise to riches largely thanks to his political connections –   often being accused of being Orban's placeman – and is now worth HUF660bn (€1.7bn) according to Forbes.

According to maritime portal Superyachtfan, the luxury boat is owned by Kazakh-Russian mining magnate Konstantin Strukov, who is an active real estate investor in the Balkans. He also owns another luxury yacht from the manufacturer, under the name Reve d'Or. The 64-year-old businessman moved from Kazakhstan to Russia in 1993, Forbes puts his wealth at around $1.3bn.

For days, Hungarian photojournalist Daniel Nemeth followed Rose d’Or, which left the port in Naples on the last day of July and a week later sailed along the shores of Amalfi.

The story broke just a few days after reports that Hungarian construction mogul Laszlo Szijj put up posts on foreign sites trying to sell his luxury yacht Lady MRD for HUF12bn (€31mn). 

Lady MRD served as a meeting point for the ruling Fidesz party elite for lavish summer escapades over the years. Family members of Meszaros, his right-hand man Gellert Jaszai, the owner of ICT 4iG and fat cats from the business and financial circles close to the ruling Fidesz party have been spotted enjoying the high life and the Mediterranean sun on board.

Two years ago, Nemeth caught Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjarto on camera on board Lady MRD, which is "only 23% smaller" than Rose d’Or.

Since the scandal, Hungary’s top diplomat has not given an explanation about whether he paid for what he called a "holiday trip". Szijjarto also could not explain why he posted a photo on Facebook, dressed up smart in a suit pretending to work assiduously in his office while he was enjoying his holiday with his wife on board Lady MRD.

The photos caused a political uproar for a few weeks, but the story died off, as in the case of most stories involving the corruption of the political and business elite close to Fidesz.

Rose d’Or was manufactured by Italian-based San Lorenzo, specialising in the production of high-end, custom-built yachts that range in size from 24 to 70 metres.The company has made only three 62STEEL models so far. Rose d’Or was handed over to its owner in 2023.

Technical details of the luxury boat are also impressive. With 63 metres in length, the yacht is so big that it cannot navigate to some ports. It is powered by two 2,400 horsepower, 3512C type Caterpillar engines, allowing a range of 5,000 nautical miles. Filling up the 130,000-litre diesel tank costs more than €200,000. It has six cabins, room for 12 people, a jacuzzi, and a larger pool.

The €70mn price tag of the luxury boat is around the same amount as the government expects to collect from CEE’s leading pharmaceutical company Richter in windfall tax this year.