Crimeupdated 26m ago2 min read
Hungarian Investigators Recover $19.5 Million Buried Cash in Corruption Probe of Miklos Sesztak
9outlets comparedA wider view of the story
3 Western Mainstream2 Local Western2 West Asian2 Other source typesThis article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
About $19.5 million in cash recovered during corruption probe into Miklós Seszták, ex-minister under Orbán. Found buried in forests and hidden in farms, warehouses and homes on November 12–13.
Save coverage image
Cash Stash in Hungary
Hungarian investigators found $19.5m in hidden cash, including bundles dug out in forests, during a corruption probe involving Miklos Sesztak, the former minister under ex-Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The National Asset Recovery and Protection Office said searches took place on November 12 and 13 in Budapest and three other parts of Hungary, and investigators found Hungarian forints, euros and US dollars in farm buildings, warehouses, a home and “a high-value safe in a secluded location”. The cash amounted to “5,071,632,000 forints, €2,658,350 and $1,257,100”, bringing the combined value to $19.5m, and the office said it was deposited into the Hungarian State Treasury.
The Al Jazeera report said the agency released footage showing officers digging outdoors after dark and examining piles of cash, which was later deposited with the state treasury. The investigation centres on allegations that Sesztak accepted bribes as part of a scheme involving the state transport company and government construction projects.
Accusations and Denials
Hungary’s new Prime Minister Péter Magyar described the recovery as the end of what he called the “Fidesz-KDNP mafia”, while Orban’s right-wing party Fidesz said it hoped the cash shown in the NVVH photographs had “nothing to do with Miklós Seszták”. Miklós Seszták, who served as minister of national development for four of Orban’s 16-year rule, is accused of accepting bribes and has denied any wrongdoing. The Al Jazeera report said investigators suspect Sesztak of receiving more than $37.2m in bribes and kickbacks tied to overpriced secondhand bus purchases by a state transport company and government construction projects.
EU Today report said investigators suspect Seszták and Norbert Szivek received more than 11 billion forints in illicit payments through an intermediary between 2015 and 2018, and it said Seszták has denied committing criminal offences. The BBC said two of Orban’s former ministers, including Seszták, and the former central bank chief Gyorgy Matolcsy have been under arrest since September over accusations of graft in separate investigations, and all deny wrongdoing.
What Happens Next
EU Today said a Budapest court extended Seszták’s pre-trial detention until 30 January 2027, and it also said the discovery of the cash does not, in itself, establish its criminal origin or Seszták’s guilt. The National Asset Recovery and Protection Office was established to investigate allegations of corruption during the Orbán rule, which Magyar has dubbed “Operation Purgatory”. The Al Jazeera report said Magyar’s centre-right, pro-European Tisza party ended Orban’s 16 years in power in April, and it said the recovery signalled the end of what Magyar called the “Fidesz-KDNP mafia”.
The AP report said the seizure came after a two-day search in Budapest and three Hungarian counties, and it said Magyar wrote on Facebook that the discovery “officially marks the end of the Fidesz-KDNP mafia,” referring to Orbán’s former ruling coalition. Orbán dismissed the investigations as political revenge and said: “In this dirty game, the aim is the elimination of the political opponent and the establishment of a one-party system.”