Hungary seeks answers after confiscating Ukrainian cash shipment

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said Ukraine has again summoned the Hungarian ambassador following the confiscation in Budapest of a large shipment of cash and gold that employees of Ukraine’s Oschadbank were transporting through Hungary.

According to Szijjártó, the incident triggered “serious panic” in Kyiv.

Hungarian authorities, however, are treating the case as a matter of national security, the minister said.

“It would be good to know why these hundreds of millions of euros and dollars in cash linked to Ukrainians ended up in Hungary, what they were spent on, and whether they are related to interference in parliamentary elections,” Szijjártó said.

He also stated that individuals connected to Ukrainian intelligence services and the military were involved in escorting the shipment. According to the minister, the couriers’ legal defence has been handled by a law firm affiliated with the opposition Tisza Party.

Szijjártó said Ukrainian authorities have so far only demanded the return of the seized funds and have not responded to questions raised by the Hungarian side.

“We demand that the Ukrainians immediately provide answers. If they do not do so, our authorities will find them themselves. Today we have legally ensured such an opportunity,” he said.

The dispute stems from an incident in early March, when Hungarian authorities stopped two vehicles and detained seven employees of Oschadbank who were accompanying them.

According to Hungarian officials, the couriers were transporting $40 million, €35 million and 9 kilograms of gold from Austria to Ukraine.

The Ukrainian citizens were later returned to Ukraine, while the money and gold were confiscated by Hungarian authorities.

By Tamilla Hasanova