Orbán sanctioned the raid on Oschadbank's "gold convoy" - Hungarian media
Kyiv • UNN
Hungarian media have exposed Orbán's role in the seizure of Oschadbank's gold due to an oil conflict. The investigation found no violations and returned the assets to Ukraine.
The Hungarian publication Telex published an investigation regarding the high-profile detention of Ukrainian "Oschadbank" cash-in-transit couriers in March of this year. Journalists claim that the decision to conduct the operation was allegedly made at a political level, and its direct execution was demanded by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, UNN reports.
What happened to the "gold convoy"
On March 5, Hungarian security forces stopped two Ukrainian cash-in-transit minibuses traveling from Austria to Ukraine. According to Telex, the vehicles were transporting approximately 27 billion forints in cash and investment gold for the Ukrainian "Oschadbank."
The operation was carried out by the Hungarian special forces unit TEK. The Ukrainian couriers were detained, and the funds and gold were confiscated. At the same time, the detainees were later released and expelled from the country.
Officially, the Hungarian authorities cited suspicions of money laundering. In Ukraine, the incident was described as an actual robbery of state assets.
The decision for the raid was allegedly made in the government
The investigation states that the operation lacked sufficient professional or legal justification, and the initiative came specifically from the Hungarian government.
According to the publication's sources, the order to conduct the raid specifically on March 5 came through structures that coordinate Hungary's special services. Journalists claim that the final decision was allegedly made personally by Viktor Orbán.
The operation against the "gold convoy" was a political decision. The security structures were merely following instructions from above
The reason could have been a dispute over oil
According to the publication, one of the reasons for Budapest's harsh actions could have been the situation surrounding the supply of Russian oil through the "Druzhba" pipeline.
Journalists claim that Orbán viewed the supply delays as political pressure from Ukraine and wanted to demonstrate a "forceful response."
On the day of the raid, the Hungarian Prime Minister publicly stated that Budapest would "force" Ukraine to restore oil supplies.
The investigation did not confirm the charges
After a change in the situation in Hungary, the circumstances shifted sharply. According to Telex, the confiscated money and gold were returned to the Ukrainian side, and the decision to deport the couriers was overturned.
Furthermore, the prosecutor's office concluded that the Hungarian special services did not provide sufficient evidence of a threat to national security or facts of money laundering.
Austrian authorities also stated that they found no violations in the transportation of funds between banking institutions.
Ukraine claimed the case was political in nature
The report notes that the Ukrainian side filed a complaint regarding the actions of the Hungarian security forces and accused Budapest of abuse of power.
Separately, journalists point out that Hungarian pro-government media actively used the story for an information campaign against Ukraine, spreading materials about the alleged "shadow origin" of the Ukrainian funds.
At the same time, Orbán himself, through his spokesperson, refused to directly answer journalists' questions regarding his personal role in the operation.