Taiwan and Hungary on Wednesday refuted claims that pagers they produced exploded while being used by Hezbollah members in Lebanon, resulting in the deaths of 12 people. The New York Times, citing anonymous American and other officials, reported that Israel had allegedly inserted explosive material into a shipment of pagers from Taiwan's Gold Apollo. Taiwanese prosecutors have initiated an investigation into the matter. Gold Apollo denied manufacturing the devices and instead implicated its Budapest-based partner, BAC Consulting KFT. However, Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs clarified that BAC Consulting is merely a trading intermediary with no manufacturing or operational facilities in Hungary. "The referenced devices have never been in Hungary," Kovacs stated on X, formerly Twitter. He further noted that the case does not pose a national security risk and that Hungary is cooperating with relevant international agencies and organizations in the ongoing investigation.
Earlier on Wednesday, Gold Apollo's head, Hsu Ching-kuang, emphatically denied that the pagers were made in Taiwan. "They are not our products from beginning to end. How can we produce products that are not ours?" Hsu told reporters in Taipei. The company issued a separate statement asserting that it has a long-term partnership with the Hungarian company, allowing it to use its trademark, and that the model mentioned in media reports is produced and sold by BAC. Taiwan's economic affairs ministry confirmed that Gold Apollo's pagers made in Taiwan only have a receiving function and that their battery capacity is similar to that of an ordinary AA battery, making it impossible for them to explode and cause death or injury. The ministry also expressed skepticism that the model in question could be the company's product, as there is no record of direct exports to Lebanon.
BAC Consulting CEO Cristiana Barsony-Arcidiacono, in an interview with US broadcaster NBC News, clarified that her company did not manufacture the pagers but acted as an intermediary. "I don't make the pagers. I am just the intermediate. I think you got it wrong," NBC quoted Barsony-Arcidiacono as saying. The explosions in Lebanon resulted in the deaths of 12 people, including two children, and injured up to 2,800 others. Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group, has accused Israel of orchestrating the attack. At BAC Consulting's registered address in a Budapest suburb, a woman informed reporters that the two-storey semi-detached building is owned by a company that provides virtual business addresses. Legal documents consulted by AFP indicate that Barsony-Arcidiacono appears to be the sole employee of the company, which was founded in 2022, with an annual revenue of 210 million forints ($590,000) and a profit of around 18 million forints.
An archived version of the company's website described it as "agents of change with a network of consultants," while Barsony-Arcidiacono highlighted her experience as a "strategic adviser" for international organizations. The Times reported that approximately 3,000 pagers were ordered from Gold Apollo, primarily its AR924 model. Gold Apollo clarified that it only provides brand trademark authorization and is not involved in the design or manufacturing of the product. The company declined to comment further due to the ongoing investigations. Taipei's Shilin District Prosecutors Office stated that the case has been assigned to the chief prosecutor of the national security team for an active investigation. "If there is any illegality involved, it will be severely punished in accordance with the law," the office added.
