Hungarian authorities seized a vehicle carrying nearly 70 million euros in cash and gold belonging to Ukraine’s state-owned Oschadbank in early March 2026, launching a crisis that now threatens former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán with criminal charges, according to reports.
Hungarian Police Seize Currency Transport Near Budapest
The vehicle was stopped by Hungary’s counter-terrorism police at a highway bus stop near Budapest while executing a routine currency transport along the Vienna-Kyiv route. Seven employees were detained during the operation. Orbán’s campaign representatives framed the seizure at the time as purported proof that Kyiv was secretly funneling funds to the Hungarian opposition. The gamble backfired when Orbán lost the election, forcing Budapest to return the money to Kyiv and release the bank employees who reported the misconduct, according to lrytas.lt. The bank couriers had been kept handcuffed and blindfolded for several hours during questioning. Ukrainian interests lawyer Lorantas Horvath stated that this fallout has set the stage for the first criminal case to formally target the former prime minister. Horvath and lawyer Pal Furcht noted that this specific investigation is nearing completion, while other corruption cases involving Orbán remain in earlier stages.
Prosecutorial Inquiries and Direct Orders from Orbán
Investigators suspect Orbán personally ordered the seizure of the Oschadbank vehicle to exploit the situation for political gain ahead of the ballot. Former prosecutor Pal Furcht reported that the former premier directly instructed special services to detain the Ukrainian couriers. When Furcht reported these directives to his superiors in the spring, he initially received a reprimand before facing an internal investigation, lrytas.lt reported. A June prosecution report reviewed by reporters corroborates those claims, citing counter-terrorism center chief Janos Hajdu as stating he received instructions from an individual named in the report as Orbán. On March 5, 2026, Orbán visited the counter-terrorism center headquarters in Budapest for a meeting regarding terrorism threats linked to U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran; social media posts from that day show Orbán with individuals involved in the Ukrainian seizure. Hajdu, who is now responsible for security for Orbán’s Fidesz party, denies wrongdoing and faces charges for unlawful detention and mistreatment of the Oschadbank workers.
Hungarian Parliament Strips Legal Immunity from Three Politicians
The Hungarian parliament voted on Monday to strip the legal immunity of Prime Minister Peter Magyar and two former ministers from Orbán’s administration—Balazs Hanko and Miklos Sesztak—to face separate criminal investigations, lrt.lt reported. The decision passed with a crushing majority, though Fidesz and the KDNP boycotted the session. Magyar’s immunity was waived at his own request following a 2024 nightclub incident involving a mobile phone, while Hanko and Sesztak faced immediate detention after reporting to prosecutors on Monday evening, delfi.lt reported. Hanko is accused of misusing roughly 47 million euros in public funds between 2024 and 2026 to finance the Fidesz election campaign, while Sesztak faces multi-million-euro bribery allegations stemming from his tenure as national development minister from 2014 to 2018. Both former officials deny all allegations of wrongdoing.
Expansion of Criminal Probes
Beyond the former ministers, several businessmen linked to Orbán have been arrested. Gyorgy Matolcsy, the former central bank head and economy minister whom Orbán called his “right hand,” was questioned over suspicions of abuse of office. Orsolya Rachova of the Eurasia Group stated that the volume of criminal cases shows these probes remain a priority for Prime Minister Magyar. Rachova added that corruption scandals have reached a critical mass, making an investigation into Orbán’s personal responsibility inevitable. Magyar described the Orbán government as an “economic and political mafia” on Facebook on September 29.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Legal Proceedings
What specific charges do the detained former ministers face?
Balazs Hanko is accused of misusing over 40 million euros in public funds for campaign financing, while Miklos Sesztak is investigated for accepting millions in bribes related to overpriced bus purchases during his time as development minister. Specifically, Sesztak is linked to a scandal involving the company Volanbusz ZRT, where bribes exceeding 11 billion forints were allegedly paid to state decision-makers.
Why was Peter Magyar’s parliamentary immunity lifted?
The Hungarian parliament lifted Magyar’s immunity at his own request following a 2024 nightclub altercation where he allegedly threw another man’s mobile phone into the Danube River.
How much money and gold was seized from the Ukrainian transport?
Hungarian counter-terrorism police intercepted an Oschadbank vehicle carrying nearly 70 million euros in cash and gold bullion on its regular route from Vienna to Kyiv.
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