Nearly €20 Million in Cash Found Buried and Hidden in Hungarian Corruption Probe

Hungarian authorities have recovered nearly €20 million in cash in a criminal investigation into former minister Miklós Seszták, who served in the government of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The money was buried in forests, hidden in warehouses and residential properties, and kept in a high-value safe. Seszták is investigated over bribery allegations. He is in pre-trial detention and denies wrongdoing.

The cash was found during searches on Thursday and Friday. According to the National Asset Recovery and Protection Office, an anti-corruption body, the total includes more than 5 billion forints, €2.6 million and €1.2 million. It was located at sites in Budapest and in Pest, Békés and Nógrád counties.

Political context

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar launched a broad anti-corruption campaign after ousting Orbán earlier this year. On Facebook he wrote that this officially marks the end of the "Fidesz-KDNP mafia", referring to Orbán's government.

Finance Minister Kármán András said it took 12 Treasury staff eight hours to count the money using five counting machines.

The announcement followed the detention of Áron Orbán, the former prime minister's brother, as part of a people-smuggling investigation. Magyar announced that move on Monday. The former prime minister said on social media that it was a "political witch-hunt" aimed at him.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk responded wryly on X, referring to the arrest of Orbán's brother and the discovery of the cash. "Dear Victor, I've always been an admirer of your creativity, but now I must say I'm impressed as never before," he wrote.