Hungary returns Ukrainian armored cash-in-transit vehicles, but without cash and gold - media
Kyiv • UNN
The Hungarian tax service NAV is returning Oschadbank's armored vehicles without official seizure. The money remains under arrest in a money laundering case.
The National Tax and Customs Administration of Hungary (NAV) is returning the cash-in-transit vehicles to Ukrainians that were seized by Hungarian authorities during an operation against employees of the Ukrainian state Oschadbank last week, but the money was classified as seized, 24.hu reports, writes UNN.
Details
Lawyer Lorant Horvath said that the Central Investigation Department of the Criminal Affairs Directorate of NAV informed them a few days ago that the armored vehicles seized from Oschadbank would be handed over to the interested party on Thursday.
The investigative body also stated that the vehicles were not seized, so no decision on seizure or its termination was made.
"The money was classified as seized, but the vehicles carrying the money will be returned on Thursday," the publication states.
Index.hu also writes that "Oschadbank's armored vehicles will be returned at 10:00 AM on Thursday, but without cash and gold."
"We assume that the operation was conducted by the Hungarian Counter Terrorism Centre (TEK) on 05.03.2026. From the moment of arrest at 3:00 PM until the government decree 49/2026. (III.9.) came into force at 11:00 PM, i.e., for 4 days and 8 hours, funds and armored equipment of particularly significant value, owned by a foreign state organization, were in the possession of Hungarian state authorities without an official decision, and therefore without legal grounds," reads the statement from Horvath's law firm.
As the publication writes, "there are still no suspects in the case of the Ukrainian money carriers."
"The prosecutor's office took action against the Ukrainian money carriers arrested a week ago, based on a complaint," Népszava reports, citing information from the supreme prosecutor's office. Spokesperson Géza Fazekas did not disclose who the complainant was, but said that the investigation, launched on suspicion of "money laundering," is still in the investigation phase.
"This means that there are still no suspects," the publication states.
Minister Antal Rogan, head of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's staff, stated at a forum on Wednesday that "the authorities took action now because the Ukrainians were not in a regular vehicle and were not carrying a regular amount of money." According to criminal lawyer Péter Hack, "the operation was planned in advance, TEK knew exactly when and where the cargo would arrive, and where it would be stopped." Hungarian Minister of Construction and Transport János Lázár previously stated that "the reason for this measure was the closure of 'Druzhba,' and the duration of the investigation will depend on the opening of the oil pipeline."
A few days ago, law professor Péter Hack told 24.hu: "Since the involved Ukrainians were expelled, Ukrainian assets were seized, so proceedings were probably initiated against an unknown perpetrator, and the decree and law might have been necessary because money laundering proceedings fall under the jurisdiction of the National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV) only for certain crimes."