Orban Faces Criminal Charges Over Ukrainian Gold

2.10.2026, 15:45

Hungary's former prime minister is suspected of unlawfully detaining cash collectors.

After securing a constitutional majority in the April elections, Hungary’s new government launched a campaign called “Operation Purifying Fire” to dismantle the system of political corruption created by Viktor Orbán during his 16 years in power. One of the first outcomes could be a criminal case against the former prime minister himself, writes Financial Times.

In March, a counterterrorism unit seized a vehicle containing cash and gold bars worth 70 million euros. Although this was a routine cash transport from Vienna by security guards from Ukraine’s state-owned Oschadbank, Orbán accused Kyiv of secretly financing the Hungarian opposition. However, the cash transporters—who were kept handcuffed and blindfolded for several hours, even during questioning—were released the next day. Orbán ultimately lost the election, and the money was returned to Ukraine.

Orbán is now suspected of personally ordering the seizure of the vehicle in order to exploit the situation for his own benefit. “This is the first case that could lead to formal charges being filed against Orban, as the investigation is already nearing completion, while other corruption cases involving him are at a much less advanced stage,” — said attorney Lorant Horvath, who represents the Ukrainians’ interests.

He also represents former prosecutor Pál Fürcht, who was assigned in March to lead the case against them. Furcht stated on Monday that Orbán “personally ordered the security services to detain the Ukrainian couriers carrying cash.” According to him, when he reported this to his superiors in the spring, he was reprimanded, and later an internal investigation was launched against him.

The former prosecutor’s statements are corroborated by a June report from the prosecutor’s office, which the FT reviewed. It quotes the head of the counterterrorism unit (TEK) János Hajdu as saying:

Everyone knew that the arrests were made based on a decision by a person who should not have been involved in this case.

The report states that this person was Orban. Hajdu now faces charges of unlawfully detaining Oschadbank employees and subjecting them to cruel treatment.

On the day of the arrests, Orban visited TEK and spoke of an “increased terrorist threat”; official photos from the event show him alongside some of those who later carried out the raid against the cash transporters.

The Tax Service had already opened a case against the Ukrainians during Orban’s tenure, but it was soon closed due to lack of evidence. “The fact that the tax authorities closed the investigation without finding even the slightest grounds for a case [means] that the prosecution must now focus on the person who made the final decision—that is, Viktor Orbán,” Horvát stated.

In recent weeks, authorities have arrested two of Orbán’s former ministers and members of his Fidesz party (after parliament stripped them of their parliamentary immunity), as well as several businesspeople close to the former prime minister. The former head of the central bank and Minister of Economy György Matolcsy, whom Orbán called his right-hand man, was questioned in connection with a case of abuse of office; while his son became a subject of a separate investigation into corruption at the central bank.

“Corruption scandals and various cases have reached a critical mass, so an investigation into Orbán’s personal responsibility has become inevitable,” said Eurasia Group analyst Orsolya Ráczová, adding that Prime Minister Péter Magyar “will not stop.”

Mátyás himself wrote on Facebook on Tuesday that the investigations must continue:

It is clear from the investigation materials that Orbán’s government was an economic and political mafia.

PATREON Support the website

Write your comment 1

Orban Faces Criminal Charges Over Ukrainian Gold

Follow Charter97.org social media accounts

Interview

Opinion