Hungarian investigators seize $19.5 million in cash during corruption probe
The money was found buried in forests and hidden in buildings during an investigation into a former minister.
Hungarian anti-corruption investigators seized $19.5 million in cash buried in forests and hidden in various buildings on Thursday and Friday, according to a Times of India report. The National Asset Recovery and Protection Office (NVVH) conducted searches in Budapest and three Hungarian counties as part of criminal proceedings against Miklós Seszták, the former minister of national development between 2014 and 2018.
The NVVH stated that the cash was discovered in forests, residential properties, and warehouse buildings, as well as in high-value safes. The total amount found included 5,071,632,000 forints, €2,658,350, and US $1,257,100. Finance Minister András Kármán said on Facebook that 12 Treasury employees required eight hours and five machines to count the money after it was deposited into the state account.
Seszták is alleged to have accepted bribes related to a scheme involving the purchase of secondhand buses at inflated prices from a state transport company. Seszták has denied any wrongdoing, and his lawyer, Gabor Papp, told Telex that the cash did not belong to him.
Prime Minister Peter Magyar, who leads the Tisza party, described the seizure as a potential turning point. He referred to the former Fidesz-KDNP governing coalition as a mafia and stated the crackdown is part of an anti-graft drive called "Operation Purgatory."
The Fidesz party stated on Facebook that it hopes Seszták is not connected to the cash. Bence Retvari, the Christian Democrats' parliamentary group leader, said Seszták should give up his parliamentary mandate while he attempts to clear his name.