Hungarian Police Find €17.7m from Former Minister Seszták
Hungarian authorities discovered €17.7 million in cash hidden in forests, buildings and residences during a corruption investigation into former minister Miklós Seszták.
Discovery of funds in Seszták investigation
Hungary's National Asset Recovery and Protection Office discovered €17.7 million in cash distributed across dollars, euros and Hungarian forints in various locations across the country. According to lasexta.com, the money was found buried in forests and hidden in agricultural buildings, warehouses, residences and a safe. The funds were deposited into the State Treasury last Friday.
The discovery is part of an investigation into alleged corruption against Miklós Seszták, former minister of National Development under Viktor Orbán's government. Seszták has been in pre-trial detention since late September and faces accusations of having received bribes worth 12.6 billion forints, equivalent to approximately €33 million, in a scheme related to the state-owned transport company Volánbusz.
The former KDNP deputy, a satellite party of Fidesz, held the ministry between 2014 and 2018. His detention is part of a series of actions undertaken by Prime Minister Péter Magyar, who defeated Orbán electorally in April. Magyar announced investigations into corruption and abuse of power under the previous government and created the new asset recovery office.
Along with Seszták, two other former Orbán ministers have been jailed in recent weeks on suspicion of corruption. Among them is György Matolcsy, former governor of the Central Bank and considered Orbán's "right-hand man", who served as Economy minister. Magyar declared on Facebook that the discovery "officially ends the Fidesz-KDNP mafia", referring to the parties that governed Hungary between 2010 and 2024.
Source: Google News ES — Crime (es)