"They Dug and Real Money Came Pouring Out"... '28 Billion Won in Cash' Found in Forest in Probe of Former Hungarian Minister for Bribery

Investigation into bribery allegations against former National Development Minister
Allegations of massive bribes in state-owned company contracts
Two days of raids... all seized cash deposited into state treasury

Hungary's anti-corruption authorities have found large sums of cash buried in woodland or hidden in warehouses, homes and other places while investigating allegations that a former minister accepted bribes. The seized money is worth approximately $19.5 million (about 28 billion won).

On November 14, the Associated Press and the UK's Guardian reported that the National Bureau of Asset Recovery and Protection (NVVH) had seized large amounts of cash during searches conducted on November 12 and 13 in Budapest and the counties of Pest, Bekes and Nograd.

Investigators found that the cash had been buried in woodland or hidden in agricultural buildings, warehouses and homes. Money was also discovered in an expensive safe installed in a remote location.

Authorities said the seized amount comprised 5,071,632,000 Hungarian forints, 2,658,350 euros and $1,257,100. The total comes to approximately 6.45 billion forints, equivalent to about 17.6 million euros or $19.5 million.

Bundles of cash discovered during an anti-corruption investigation involving a former Hungarian minister. Screenshot from Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar's Facebook page.

The seized cash was deposited into a Hungarian government treasury account. Finance Minister Andras Karman said that after receiving the cash, 12 Finance Ministry employees used five cash-counting machines to verify the amount over eight hours.

The investigation concerns allegations that former Minister of National Development Miklos Sesztak accepted bribes. Sesztak served as minister of national development from 2014 to 2018, during the administration of former Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Investigators suspect that Sesztak and the then chief executive of the Hungarian National Asset Management Company (MNV), among others, received more than 11 billion forints in illicit funds from private-sector representatives while involved in business contracts for state-owned bus operator Volanbusz from 2015 to 2018.

Investigators allege that undue profits were generated when the state-owned transport company bought more than 600 used buses at prices above market rates, and that the money was funneled to officials through intermediaries and sham loan agreements. The investigation is also reportedly examining real estate transactions and construction projects involving state-owned companies.

Sesztak was arrested in late September, and in October a court extended his detention until January 30, 2027. Sesztak denies the allegations. His lawyers have also said that the cash seized in this operation did not belong to Sesztak and was connected to other people involved in the case.

The case is part of a major anti-corruption drive underway in Hungary following the end of former Prime Minister Orban's 16 years in power. Prime Minister Peter Magyar won the general election in April, replacing the Orban government, and since taking office has been investigating allegations of corruption by officials from the previous administration and misuse of public funds.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.