In a forest clearing and behind the walls of ordinary buildings, Hungarian investigators have pulled roughly $19.5 million in hidden cash out of the ground and into the light, tied to an alleged bus-buying scheme that once ran through a former minister's ministry. It is one more sediment layer in a country that has spent years wondering how power and money settled into one another, and now, after a change of government, is trying to dig them apart. Whether this becomes a reckoning or simply another chapter depends on what the courts and the coming months reveal.
Hungary Seizes $19.5m in Cash Buried in Forests in Probe of Orbán-Era Minister
Cash buried in forests, hidden in warehouses, stored in safes in secluded places
Mark
Why does this seizure stand out from the other arrests?
Mimi
The physical detail. Cash buried in forests, stashed in warehouses and safes in secluded places. Investigators counted 5,071,632,000 forints, €2,658,350 and $1,257,100, worth $19.5m combined.
Mark
And the accusation against Seszták?
Mimi
That he took bribes in a deal where the state transport company bought secondhand buses at inflated prices. He was development minister from 2014 to 2018.
Luke
Is the cash proven to be the bribe money?
Mimi
The reporting doesn't say that. The agency found it during searches tied to the criminal proceedings against him, but it hasn't linked the sum to the bus deal.
Luke
Do we know whose property it was found on?
Mimi
Not from this account. It lists forests, agricultural and warehouse buildings, homes and safes, without saying who owns each one. Also, the accusation is still an accusation.
Mark
How does the political backdrop figure in?
Mimi
Magyar won in April after promising to pursue corruption, and the NVVH was created as part of that push. Seszták, two other former ministers and Orbán's brother are in custody in different cases.
Luke
And Orbán's side?
Mimi
He didn't respond to this development. Earlier he called the probes political persecution aimed at jailing him. That's his claim, set against Magyar's claim that this is the end of a mafia.
El Pulso
- Investigators unearthed cash buried in woodland and stashed in warehouses, homes and safes over just two days of searches.
- Former minister Miklós Seszták stands accused of taking bribes tied to inflated prices for secondhand state buses.
- A newly elected government is pressing graft probes into the Orbán era, with several ex-ministers and a brother already in custody.
- The seizure has been branded a turning point, while the former premier has not responded and his allies call the probes persecution.
- Next comes the slow machinery of custody decisions and formal charges, and the country is watching which way it turns.
In a forest clearing and behind the walls of ordinary buildings, Hungarian investigators have pulled roughly $19.5 million in hidden cash out of the ground and into the light, tied to an alleged bus-buying scheme that once ran through a former minister's ministry. It is one more sediment layer in a country that has spent years wondering how power and money settled into one another, and now, after a change of government, is trying to dig them apart. Whether this becomes a reckoning or simply another chapter depends on what the courts and the coming months reveal.
Over two days, investigators in Hungary dug cash out of forest ground and pried it from hiding places across several properties. By Friday the national anti-corruption agency announced it had seized about $19.5 million, a sum so large that 12 Treasury employees needed eight hours and five counting machines to tally it.
The search targets a former minister, Miklós Seszták, who led the national development ministry from 2014 to 2018 under Viktor Orbán. He is accused of accepting bribes in a deal with the state transport company, which bought secondhand buses at inflated prices. The agency has said little beyond that description of the alleged scheme.
The searches were conducted by the National Asset Recovery and Protection Office, a body with broad powers created under Prime Minister Péter Magyar, who ousted Orbán after sixteen years by promising to pursue corruption under his predecessor. Seszták, two other Orbán-era ministers and the former premier's brother have already been taken into custody in separate cases.
Magyar called the seizure a turning point and declared the end of the "Fidesz-KDNP mafia." Orbán has not commented on this latest development, though he has previously described the probes around his inner circle as political persecution. What comes next is the slow work of custody rulings and formal charges against Seszták and the others now detained.
Over two days, investigators in Hungary dug cash out of forest ground. On Friday, the country's anti-corruption agency said it had seized money worth $19.5m (£14.8m), some of it buried in woodland and the rest hidden in other places, while investigating a former minister from Viktor Orbán's cabinet.
The minister is Miklós Seszták, who ran Hungary's national development ministry from 2014 to 2018. He is accused of taking bribes in a scheme involving the state transport company, which bought secondhand buses at inflated prices. The agency's statement did not go beyond that description of the alleged scheme.
The searches were carried out by the National Asset Recovery and Protection Office, known as NVVH, on Thursday and Friday. It is an anti-graft body with sweeping powers, created as part of the accountability drive of Prime Minister Péter Magyar. Its statement said investigators found large amounts of cash buried in forests, hidden in agricultural and warehouse buildings and in residential properties, and stored in high-value safes in secluded locations.
The agency gave the exact tally: 5,071,632,000 forints, €2,658,350 and US $1,257,100. Together, it said, that comes to $19.5m. The cash was deposited into the Hungarian State Treasury's account.
Finance minister András Kármán described the counting on Facebook. According to him, 12 Treasury employees spent 8 hours counting the money on 5 counting machines.
The case lands in a changed political landscape. Magyar won a landslide election victory in April, ending Orbán's 16 years in power, after promising to investigate alleged corruption and abuse of office under his rival. In recent weeks those inquiries have picked up speed. Seszták, two other Orbán-era ministers and the former premier's brother have all been taken into custody in different cases.
Magyar presented the seizure as a potential turning point. "This officially marks the end of the Fidesz-KDNP mafia!" he said, referring to Orbán's former governing coalition. Orbán did not react to the latest development. He has previously denounced the probes aimed at his inner circle as "political persecution" intended to imprison him.
What to watch now is how the several cases move forward, including further custody decisions and any formal charges against Seszták and the others already detained.
Citas Notables
This officially marks the end of the Fidesz-KDNP mafia!— Prime Minister Péter Magyar
Investigators found large amounts of cash buried in forests, hidden in agricultural and warehouse buildings and residential properties, and stored in safes in secluded locations.— NVVH statement
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