Head of the tax authority Ildiko Vida has filed a complaint and a lawsuit against Andre Goodfriend, charge d’affaires at the United States embassy in Budapest, the tax authority NAV’s lawyer, Barnabas Futo, told. The complaint was filed with the Central Investigating Chief Prosecutor’s Office on the ground of „public defamation causing serious damage”, Mr Futo said. The legal claim is that Goodfriend had defamed Vida in her official capacity as NAV chairperson, Mr Futo said. Vida also filed a case with the Municipal Court of Budapest for slander, he added. The complaints were in connection with discrediting statements Goodfriend made in an interview to weekly Heti Valasz published last Thursday, the lawyer said. In the interview, Mr Goodfriend said the US embassy in Budapest had information about fraudulent activities within the Hungarian tax authority, which, to his knowledge, have not been investigated. He said the US entry ban on Hungarian officials was a sign that the US believed „some government officials were involved in corruption,” without mentioning any names. He added that the ban was not merely in response to officials „doing too little” against fraud, as this in itself would not be seen as corruption. On Monday Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in parliament he would sack Ms Vida unless she filed a defamation lawsuit against the US diplomat. Socialist lawmaker Gergely Barandy noted that such a lawsuit cannot be started in Hungary and the only solution, in his view, was for Ms Vida to file a visa request at the US embassy, as she would be provided with the reasons for her ban during this process. Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto and Antal Rogan, head of the parliamentary group of the ruling Fidesz party, both said earlier separately that it was possible for Mr Goodfriend to defend his case and provide his evidence in a Hungarian court.