“In our view, given the developments regarding the seizing of the Ukrainian cash transport, the position of Prosecutor General Dr. Gábor Bálint Nagy has become untenable. In the interest of restoring the public's confidence in the independence of the Office of the Prosecutor General and its role in overseeing compliance with the law, the Prosecutor General must immediately step down from his office and allow for an independent, transparent, and comprehensive investigation into all circumstances surrounding the case, as well as the perpetrators to be held accountable,” the statement of the Dr. Lóránt Horváth Law Firm, which represents the Ukrainian cash transporters reads. The statement was issued as a reaction to the information that it was Viktor Orbán who had decided to order a raid on the Ukrainian “gold convoy,” and that even the timing of the raid was also determined by the government.The law firm recalls that on March 4, speaking in Egon Rónai's television programme, then-Prime Minister Viktor Orbán went into detail about security and financial concerns regarding Ukraine. At the time, he stated that Hungary was monitoring financial transactions that might be linked to the financing of terrorist organizations.“According to the documents and information we have obtained, the operation against the Ukrainian convoy was prepared by three agencies, presumably on a political order,” they state. The law firm listed the three agencies as the Constitution Protection Office (Alkotmányvédelmi Hivatal, headed by Director General Dr. Szabolcs Bárdos), the Office of the Prosecutor General (headed by Prosecutor General Dr. Gábor Bálint Nagy), and the Counter Terrorism Center (Terrorelhárítási Központ – TEK, formerly headed by Director General János Hajdú).According to them, the political engagement of the Prosecutor General, Dr. Gábor Bálint Nagy was crucial in the case of the Ukrainian cash shipment.“He bears personal responsibility for the preparation, execution, and oversight of the operation, which lasted up until the elections. What makes the case particularly significant is that while the Constitution Protection Office and the Counter Terrorism Center are agencies operating under the Government’s control, the independent Prosecutor’s Office has the constitutional duty to ensure legality and to guarantee that official proceedings are carried out in a lawful manner,” they write. They added: the Prosecutor’s Office was the only body that could have prevented “this seriously unlawful and politically motivated campaign activity.”The law firm stated that the Constitution Protection Office filed the report with the Prosecutor General, Gábor Bálint Nagy, on March 5—the morning of the raid—by submitting a motion. “Later that same day, the Prosecutor General's Office designated the National Tax and Customs Administration as the investigating authority in the matter, forwarding the complaint to it without the attachment that was supposed to contain the evidence, which gives rise to reasonable suspicion. Furthermore, investigating the crime of money laundering would otherwise have fallen within the jurisdiction of the police; however, the Rapid Response Police had an existing contractual relationship with the victim, Oschadbank.”According to them, the investigation was ordered without attaching an annex to the report, and based on evidence that did not sufficiently substantiate that a crime had been committed.The apprehension was carried out as an urgent measure. “The use of coercive measures [handcuffs, hoods, being stripped of their clothing, abuse, etc.] against the Ukrainian citizens was clearly unlawful; however, investigating these is difficult due to the deliberate omissions in the recorded data,” they added.They also noted that the interrogations were initiated and coordinated by the Constitution Protection Office; however, the identities of the interrogators remained unknown, and no minutes or records were made of the interrogations, which can thus only be reconstructed based on the witnesses' testimony. The law firm claims, based on information in its possession, that the Office of the Prosecutor General is still continuing to actively attempt to influence the ongoing investigations.On March 5, members of the Hungarian Counter Terrorism Center detained seven Ukrainian citizens and seized gold and currency worth more than 27 billion forints from their armored vehicles. According to the prosecutor’s office, they acted on the basis of a tip-off. The lawyer for the Ukrainian cash couriers later said at a press conference that, to their knowledge – contrary to the official record, members of TEK were the only ones present during the operation, and the National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV) only initiated proceedings in the case later.According to the Ukrainians’ lawyer, the recipient of the money (the Ukrainian savings bank Oschadbank), as well as the Austrian Raiffeisen Bank which sent the funds, there was nothing unusual about the shipment that the cash transporters intended to deliver from Austria to Ukraine. Nevertheless, the Orbán government and its propaganda machine immediately suggested that there was a problem with the shipment, that there may have been money laundering involved, and that the money might be linked to the financing of the Tisza Party—but so far, no evidence has been presented to support any of these accusations and insinuations. On March 10, a decree was issued stating that “the legal title to the assets seized in the Ukrainian cash-carrying vehicles could not be clarified on the scene”Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in early May that the consignment of valuables seized in Hungary had been returned to Ukraine. “I am grateful to Hungary for its constructive attitude and civilized approach,” he said at the time. According to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, the return of the cash shipment signals the new Hungarian government’s constructive approach.For more quick, accurate and impartial news from and about Hungary, subscribe to the Telex English newsletter!Állítsd be a Telexet megbízható forrásnak!Latest