Former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban personally ordered the seizure of vehicles and cash-in-transit staff of Ukraine’s Oschadbank in March, according to reports.
As Ukrinform reports, Bloomberg, citing Hungarian outlet Telex, published the information.
Telex, citing several people familiar with the situation, reported that Orban – then in the midst of a failing anti-Ukrainian election campaign – personally ordered the seizure of two Oschadbank vans transporting around $80 million in cash and 9 kilograms of gold. The vehicles were reportedly traveling from Austria through Hungary to Ukraine. According to the publication, the Prime Minister’s office, which oversaw the intelligence services, was behind the operation.
Orban’s spokesperson Bertalan Havasi said in a comment that members of the former government had always upheld the law, and that authorities acted legally in the seizure.
Current Prime Minister Péter Magyar has already reacted to the media reports, saying that Orban should be held accountable for how he managed the intelligence services.
