Hungarian foreign minister claims seized cash from Ukrainians may belong to "Ukrainian military mafia"
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has demanded an immediate response and explanation from Ukraine regarding the case involving the transport of cash, saying that Budapest suspects the money may belong to what he called the "Ukrainian military mafia".
Source: European Pravda; Hungarian state news agency MTI
Details: Szijjártó said that the National Tax and Customs Administration of Hungary had launched an investigation into what he described as a shocking crime, claiming that in recent months Ukrainians had transported large amounts of cash and gold through Hungary.
According to Szijjártó, since January a total of US$900 million and €420 million in cash, as well as 146 kg of gold bars, had been transported through Hungary.
Szijjártó said this raised several serious questions, noting that the sums involved were extremely large and questioning why Ukrainians would need to move such amounts of cash. He also questioned why, if the transfers were legitimate interbank transactions, banks had not carried them out electronically instead of physically transporting cash through Hungary.
He added that these questions arise particularly because the shipments were supposedly accompanied by individuals with apparent links to Ukrainian security services. Szijjártó said Hungary was demanding clarification on why such large sums of cash had been transported through the country in recent months, whose money it was and what it was intended to be used for.
Szijjártó also said that Hungary wanted to know whether the funds were merely passing through the country or whether some of the money might have remained there and possibly been used by someone in Hungary or for someone's interests.
Szijjártó suggested that it was legitimate to ask whether the funds could be linked to what he called the "Ukrainian military mafia".
He said Hungary was demanding immediate answers and explanations from the Ukrainian side and added that until such explanations were provided, Hungarian authorities would conduct the most thorough investigation possible.
Background:
- As reported, the National Bank of Ukraine said on the night of 5-6 March that Hungary's authorities had seized Ukrainian cash-in-transit guards and a large amount of currency.
- It later became known that the cash-in-transit vehicles abducted by Hungarian law enforcement officers were hidden at Hungary's Counterterrorism Centre. It is worth noting that this body had previously taken part in anti-Ukrainian provocations by Orbán's regime. Meanwhile, the whereabouts of the bank employees remain unknown.
- Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha reported that Hungary has still not granted Ukrainian consuls access to the seven Ukrainian cash-in-transit guards.
- Hungary's National Tax and Customs Administration stated that the vehicles and bank employees were detained on suspicion of money laundering.
Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!