Dr. László Windisch, President of the State Audit Office of Hungary, presented the 2025 SAO Grand Prizes at a ceremony held to mark the anniversary of the 1956 revolution and war of independence. This year, the SAO Grand Prize was awarded to Mr. Tony Murphy, President of the European Court of Auditors, and Mr. Ferenc Vágujhelyi, Commissioner of the National Tax and Customs Administration.
At the ceremony, Dr. László Windisch emphasised that Hungarian history is not a history of defeats, but of new beginnings, not of bowing down, but of standing up. Because there was always someone who got back on their feet, who started over, who believed in the future, and there were always those who were willing to sacrifice their lives for what they believed in. He added that October 23 is also about the fact that the Hungarian people are still alive today because they never gave up. „Our history is not one of easy victories, but of perseverance,” highlighted the President of the SAO in his speech.
The President stated that this year’s award winners are examples to us all in terms of their professional careers, their commitment, and their humane, friendly, and always supportive professional attitude.
By awarding Mr. Tony Murphy, President of the European Court of Auditors, the SAO recognised an exceptional career in public finance auditing spanning nearly 50 years, with the European Union chapter alone covering nearly two decades. The SAO awarded Mr. Tony Murphy its Grand Prize in recognition of his dedicated work in the field of European public finance auditing and, no less importantly, his support for the SAO’s audit activities.
Mr. Ferenc Vágujhelyi, Commissioner of the National Tax and Customs Administration, has devoted a decade and a half of his professional career to financial audit. The SAO recognised Mr. Ferenc Vágujhelyi’s outstanding professional work in the field of financial audit, his leadership skills and his unwavering commitment to public service, which made him worthy of the award and the highest recognition of the professional community of state auditors.
