Hungarian authorities have recovered nearly $20 million in cash, some of it buried in forests, in a corruption investigation into former development minister Miklos Sesztak. The findings were announced by the National Asset Recovery and Protection Office, a new anti-graft agency, according to DW.
The agency said investigators found large amounts of cash during searches linked to Sesztak. According to Al Jazeera, the searches took place on November 12 and 13 in Budapest and three other parts of Hungary.
DW reports that the recovered cash comprised 5.07 billion forints, €2.66 million and $1.26 million. The money was deposited into a state treasury account. Finance Minister Andras Karman said 12 State Treasury workers spent eight hours counting the banknotes using five counting machines, according to DW.
Sesztak served as development minister under Viktor Orban from 2014 to 2018, according to DW. He is suspected of accepting more than $37 million in bribes and kickbacks tied to overpriced used buses and state construction projects. DW reports that he was detained in September and denies wrongdoing.
Prime Minister Peter Magyar called the recovery the end of the "Fidesz-KDNP mafia" in a Facebook post, according to Al Jazeera. These are his words, and the claim has not been tested in court.
Magyar’s centre-right, pro-European Tisza party won an April election, ending Orban’s 16 years in power, according to DW and Al Jazeera. Magyar has dubbed the broader anti-corruption drive "Operation Purgatory." A Median survey published by HVG found 70% of respondents considered it "very important," DW reports.
The probe also extends beyond Sesztak. Former central bank governor Gyorgy Matolcsy is under investigation over alleged misuse of a central bank foundation that received 288 billion forints in public assets. He denies wrongdoing, according to DW.
The sources disagree on the total. DW and the Straits Times report nearly $20 million. Al Jazeera’s headline gives $18 million, while its body text gives $19.5 million. The sources do not reconcile the figures or explain the gap. The total rests on the agency’s statement and government officials’ accounts, and no independent confirmation has been reported.
Sesztak’s lawyer, Gabor Papp, did not respond to requests for comment on the latest discovery, according to DW and the Straits Times. Viktor Orban has not responded to this specific discovery, though he has condemned the investigations generally as political "tyranny," DW reports.
The sources do not give a timetable for charges or hearings against Sesztak. Investigations into Matolcsy, other former officials and Orban’s brother are ongoing, according to DW and the Straits Times. Some outlets were available only as excerpts and headlines, so their fuller coverage may contain further detail.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.