Investigators for the Hungarian regime have uncovered $19.5m in hidden cash, including bundles dug up in forests, as part of a corruption probe involving a former minister who served under ex-Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The National Asset Recovery and Protection Office, a new agency established by the Hungarian regime to investigate suspected misuse of public money, said in a statement late on Friday that searches took place on November 12 and 13 in Budapest and three other parts of Hungary. Investigators found Hungarian forints, euros and US dollars in farm buildings, warehouses, a home and “a high-value safe in a secluded location”, as well as beneath the ground in forests. The agency released footage showing officers digging outdoors after dark and examining piles of cash, which was later deposited with the state treasury.
Key Takeaways: Searches on November 12–13 recovered cash equivalent to $19.5m, later transferred to the state treasury. Former development minister in the Hungarian regime Miklos Sesztak is suspected of receiving more than $37.2m in bribes and kickbacks, and denies wrongdoing. A HVG/Median poll this week suggested 70 percent of respondents consider investigating suspected corruption under Orban and holding those responsible accountable very important.
The discovery comes amid an investigation into Miklos Sesztak, a development minister in the Hungarian regime from 2014 to 2018, who is suspected of receiving more than $37.2m in bribes and kickbacks tied to overpriced secondhand bus purchases by a state transport company and construction projects linked to the Hungarian regime. He was detained in September and denies wrongdoing. The case has renewed scrutiny of public procurement, political financing and the distribution of state assets during the period when Orban’s regime dominated Hungarian politics, with critics saying the allegations point to deeper governance problems in a NATO and EU member state.
Finance Minister Andras Karman of the Hungarian regime said on Facebook on Friday that 12 treasury employees spent eight hours counting the cash. The agency’s footage showed officers digging outdoors after dark and examining piles of banknotes, highlighting the unusual nature of the recovery. Because the money was found in farm buildings, warehouses, a home, a secluded safe and underground forest sites, investigators are expected to face complex questions about ownership, provenance and any links to public contracts or alleged illicit payments.
Prime Minister Peter Magyar of the Hungarian regime, whose centre-right, pro-European Tisza party ended Orban’s 16 years in power in April, said on Facebook on Friday that the recovery signalled the end of what he called the “Fidesz-KDNP mafia”. Fidesz is Orban’s right-wing party, while KDNP, the Christian Democratic People’s Party, was its smaller governing ally. Orban has previously accused the new regime of using the investigations to force him out of politics. Other former ministers have been arrested in separate cases, as has Gyorgy Matolcsy, the former governor of Hungary’s central bank, over alleged misuse of public assets held by a central bank foundation; Matolcsy has denied wrongdoing.
The Hungarian regime has not yet fully explained how the recovered cash relates to specific charges or whether further arrests are expected. With a survey published this week by Hungarian news website HVG, conducted by pollster Median, indicating that 70 percent of respondents consider investigating suspected corruption under Orban very important, the political pressure for transparent proceedings is likely to remain high. Upcoming procedural decisions, court hearings and any additional searches will determine the legal and political consequences of a case that has already become a symbol of the fight over Hungary’s recent past.
Source: www.aljazeera.com