Kyiv responds to Hungary's "military mafia" excuse for Oschadbank money seizure
Hungary's Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has yet again claimed, without providing evidence, that the money being transported through Hungary by several cash-in-transit vehicles from Ukraine's state-run Oschadbank could belong to a "Ukrainian military mafia". Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has said in response that "a guilty conscience needs no accuser".
Source: Szijjártó on Facebook; Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesman for Ukraine's Foreign Ministry, on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda
Details: Szijjártó was criticising a Sunday tweet in which Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called on Hungary to return the currency and gold bars seized from the Oschadbank cash-in-transit vehicles after they were detained on 5 March.
Quote from Szijjártó: "Instead of being outraged, they should finally answer some simple questions: why were the Ukrainians transporting US$900 million and €420 million in cash in Hungary? What did they spend it on and in whose interests? How much of it was spent in Hungary and in whose interests? The Ukrainians have been unable to answer these simple questions for three days, so suspicion is growing that this could be money from the Ukrainian military mafia."
Quote from Tykhyi: "In Ukraine, we say: … 'A guilty conscience needs no accuser'. This is exactly the case. We are waiting for the return of the stolen funds and are preparing concrete legal action. And we will also demand justice and accountability."
Background:
- On 6 March, Szijjarto said that Budapest suspects that the Oschadbank vehicles were carrying "money from the Ukrainian military mafia".
- On the evening of 6 March, the seven Ukrainian cash-in-transit guards detained in Hungary returned to Ukraine.
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