He claims the buzzers were manufactured by a partner company in Hungary called BAC Consulting. “It’s not our product (including the buzzers), it’s just our name,” Gold Apollo founder and chairman Hsu Ching Kuang told reporters Wednesday at his company’s offices in New Taipei.
In a statement, Gold Apollo says that this particular AR-924 model is manufactured and sold by BAC, which is authorized to use the Gold Apollo trademark to sell its products “in certain territories.” However, the announcement from Taiwan concludes, “the design and manufacture of the specific products is the sole responsibility of BAC.”
From Eastern Europe to the Middle East?
According to Reuters, the head of the Taiwanese company said at a press conference that there had been problems with remittances from the Hungarian BAC. “The remittances were kind of strange,” Hsu said, according to Reuters and other sources, adding that they came from the Middle East. He did not provide details, however, nor did he show any contract with BAC from which it would appear that the company has provided him with know-how over the past three years.
However, the Hungarian news portal Telex reports that, in all probability, the bombers were sent to Hezbollah by a company called Norta Global based in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. According to the Telex, the Bulgarian company, owned by a Norwegian national, is behind the transaction with Gold Apollo, although the contract is signed by BAC.
On Wednesday, the US newspaper New York Times reported that BAC was part of a “shell company” in Israel and that at least two other shell companies had been set up to mask connections with Israeli intelligence officials.
What does BAC Consulting do?
On its website, BAC Consulting claims that it “develops international technology partnerships between countries for the sale of telecommunications products.” It claims to have more than ten years of service experience and “incorporates best practices and experiences from different geographies.”
As another area of business activity, BAC Consulting mentions a collection of gold jewelry under the Nelkhael brand and promises to provide its support in promoting these products to the market.
According to the official Hungarian business register, BAC is active in many different sectors, from the manufacture of electrical appliances and medical equipment to the extraction of oil and natural gas.
Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs announced via Platform X that BAC “was just a broker, which did not develop manufacturing or production activity in Hungary” and that the devices in question never passed through Hungarian territory.
Just one “stamp company”?
Deutsche Welle visited what was said to be BAC’s headquarters in Budapest. No one answered the doorbell, there was not a single employee in the building. The only “proof” of the company’s existence was a printed adhesive paper, in A4 format, where BAC is mentioned. Residents told DW that they don’t know the company and that correspondence with BAC as an addressee rarely appears.
According to information from Company Wall, which specializes in business intelligence and analytics, BAC Consulting has published financial results, in which it reports profits (after taxes) totaling HUF 18.3 million (EUR 46,400) and gross revenue of HUF 215 million. forints.
On Wednesday, the BAC website no longer displayed its usual appearance, but an identity verification process. After a while only an error message appeared: “You do not have permission to access this web page”.
Cristiana Barsoni-Arsindiacono appears as CEO of the company. In her CV it is stated that she deals with “interdisciplinary projects for making strategic decisions”. She is listed as an employee of BAC since March 2016 specializing in business development and “sustainability strategies”.
DW attempted to reach BAC and its CEO for comment on the whistleblower case, but phone calls made were not returned. DW also visited the address listed as the private residence of Cristiana Barsoni-Arcidiacono, but no one answered the door.
Citing “sources familiar with the case”, the Hungarian news portal Telex reports that the head of BAC Consulting maintains contacts with Norta Global and that the Bulgarian company – and not BAC Consulting – was the one that delivered the intercom devices from Taiwan. Reacting to the report, the Bulgarian authorities say that no customs clearance procedures related to the specific devices have been recorded. At the same time, they confirm that they are investigating the possible involvement of Norta Global.
Norta Global was founded on April 14, 2022, around the same time as BAC appeared in Hungary. The address, which the company declares in Sofia, is used by 200 other companies. The amount of 200 leva (102 euros) is mentioned as initial capital. Norta Global claims to provide management services, but does not report any manufacturing activity.
DW visited the company’s stated address in Sofia. No company name appeared on the doorbell and letterbox, just a ‘New Companies Agency’ which, according to its website, deals with ‘company registrations’. DW attempted to contact that company, but phone calls made went unanswered. According to the neighbors, only one lawyer shows up at these offices from time to time. DW has also attempted to contact Norta Global for comment.
#Buzzers #Hezbollah
