Experts are not convinced by the testimony of Ferenc Labancz, who worked as a detective for the police's special Cattani Group. Despite having plenty of information about the the group, which investigated a pattern of revenge violence in the criminal underworld, Labancz remains a controversial figure. On leaving the police, he joined Mesterdetektiv, a company owned by Peter Tasnadi, as an expert adviser. Later, he became a defendant in the Tasnadi case. Some suspect Peter Tasnadi wanted him to murder his ex-wife, but that his offroad vehicle was set alight when he refused to carry out the commission.

Ferenc Labancz is listed as co-author of Iren Karman's new film. The former policeman himself told hvg.hu that he helped write the script of the film on the Cattani Group. He said few people would be better informed, since he was an operational member of the famous group. We asked him why Gyula Illes, Catani's former head, had not been brought in. He replied: "I'm quite clear about the kinds of things the group did." Several newspapers have mistakenly named Labancz as the head of the group. The former policeman said that, when the unit was shut down after eight months, he was the one who put the papers relating to the group's activities in order.

We understand that Labancz was a fairly junior officer involved in a few of the group's cases. This does not mean that he would have had no access to information, but several of his former colleagues told hvg.hu that if Karman wished to make an accurate film about the Cattani Group, she would have to use any information he provided with cautiously. After the famous, but short-lived unit was disbanded, Labancz moved to the burglary unit of Budapest Police. He soon ended up in trouble when he was taken away in handcuffs following allegations of bribery. Labancz was suspended for a while, and he ended up working in a nightclub. The case against him was dropped for lack of evidence, and the detective resumed work until he resigned from the police force.

Some regard the Cattani Group as a succes, though others are not so sure. The film about the Cattani Group may yet be instructive, even though it appears not to be linked to Karman's beating.

csb