BUDAPEST - Hungary's Central Statistics Office (KSH) has launched a probe into a violation of the embargo on the country's December retail sales data published earlier on Monday, it said in an emailed statement.
The KSH said that local business portal Portfolio published a story on Saturday in which they said an economic research institute had sent them an analysis with details of the retail data that were meant to be published only on Monday morning. Portfolio did not publish the analysis.
"The Central Statistics Office (KSH) has learned about a violation of the embargoed access to official statistical data and is launching an investigation, as well as preventive steps to avoid any similar cases," the KSH said in its statement.
The KSH said that relevant state officials have access to strictly embargoed economic data the day before their publication, at 1600 GMT.
"During the practice of embargoed access to data, which goes back for several decades, it has never happened that an embargo would have been breached. The KSH investigates the serious breach of the embargo, and will take the necessary steps," the Office added.
