BUDAPEST, Hungary: Hungarian authorities said Friday that they’d recovered about $19.5 million in hidden cash, some of which they found buried underground, as part of an investigation into an ex-minister who served under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
The National Asset Recovery and Protection Office said it had discovered “large quantities of cash buried in forests, concealed in agricultural buildings, warehouses and a residential property, and stored in a high-value safe in a hidden location,” according to a statement Friday.
Among the recovered cash was more than 5 billion forints, some 2.6 million euros and $1.2 million — worth around $19.5 million in total.
The discovery of the cash came after a two-day search in the capital of Budapest and in three Hungarian counties, said the National Asset Recovery and Protection Office, which was recently set up by Hungary’s new government.
The office holds investigative and prosecutorial powers to pursue cases of misused public funds and suspected corruption that Orbán’s critics say was rampant during his 16 years in office.
The seizure was part of criminal proceedings against former National Development Minister Miklós Seszták, who served under Orbán. He is suspected of accepting more than $37.2 million in bribes and kickbacks connected to vehicle procurements under Hungary’s state bus company as well as through state construction projects.
