The National Asset Recovery and Protection Office uncovered nearly $20 million in cash comprising forints, euros, and US dollars during a two-day search operation. Miklós Seszták denies allegations that he accepted bribes connected to Hungary's state transport company. The raid forms part of "Operation Purgatory," a broader anti-corruption initiative launched by Prime Minister Péter Magyar to target figures from the previous government. All seized funds from the hidden caches have now been transferred to the Hungarian State Treasury.
Key points
Prime Minister Péter Magyar is executing widespread anti-graft initiatives after defeatin…: Prime Minister Péter Magyar is executing widespread anti-graft initiatives after defeating Viktor Orbán in an April landslide election.
Law enforcement inquiries have widened beyond ministers to include a people-smuggling inv…: Law enforcement inquiries have widened beyond ministers to include a people-smuggling investigation involving Viktor Orbán's brother.
Viktor Orbán maintains that the corruption and cronyism allegations against his former ad…: Viktor Orbán maintains that the corruption and cronyism allegations against his former administration represent politically motivated revenge.
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Nearly $20m (£14.8m) in cash has been found hidden in farm buildings and buried in forests as part of an investigation into a former minister of Viktor Orbán, authorities have said.
Miklós Seszták, who served as minister of national development for four of the ex-prime minister's 16-year rule, is accused of accepting bribes as part of a scheme involving the state transport company. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Hungary's new Prime Minister Péter Magyar unseated Orbán in a landslide election in April on the promise of launching a sweeping anti-corruption drive.
On Friday, following the two-day search for the cash - found in secluded locations across the country - Magyar described it as the end of the "mafia".
Investigators found wads of banknotes in safes, buried in woodlands and hidden in agricultural and residential buildings and warehouses, as part of the probe into Seszták, the National Asset Recovery and Protection Office (NVVH) said in a statement.
The cash amounted to "5,071,632,000 forints, €2,658,350 and $1,257,100", it added, bringing the combined value to $19.5m. It has been deposited into…
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