Nearly $20m found in Hungary’s forests, buildings amid corruption probe
Hungarian investigators have uncovered $19.5m in hidden cash during a corruption probe targeting a former minister under ex-Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
The cash was discovered in farm buildings, warehouses, a home and "a high-value safe in a secluded location", as well as buried in forests. Investigators released footage showing officers digging outdoors after dark and examining piles of cash, which was later deposited with the state treasury.
Bribery probe
The discovery is part of an investigation into Miklos Sesztak, Hungary's development minister from 2014 to 2018, who is suspected of receiving more than $37.2m in bribes and kickbacks tied to overpriced secondhand bus purchases and government construction projects.
The recovery signalled the end of what he called the "Fidesz-KDNP mafia".
Political impact
Prime Minister Peter Magyar, whose center-right, pro-European Tisza party ended Orban's 16 years in power in April, has vowed to root out corruption. Orban has accused the new government of using investigations to force him out of politics.
Other former ministers and Gyorgy Matolcsy, the former governor of Hungary's central bank, have also been arrested in separate cases. A recent survey showed 70% of Hungarians consider investigating corruption under Orban very important.
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