Hungary’s Prosecutor General’s Office has confirmed that ‘reasonable suspicion of a criminal offence’ has arisen concerning several senior officials in the investigation into the so-called Ukrainian cash convoy case, adding that prosecutors are preparing at least one suspect interview.
Although the prosecution service did not identify the officials concerned, an alleged internal prosecutorial document obtained by Hungarian outlet 444 reportedly names former prime minister Viktor Orbán among those whose potential criminal liability should be investigated.
The document, dated 9 June, reportedly identifies Orbán, former national security state secretary Örs Farkas, former Counter Terrorism Centre (TEK) chief János Hajdu, and former senior tax authority official Tamás Demeter as the individuals who made the key decisions or issued the instructions connected to the operation.
The document reportedly relates to a probe by Budapest’s investigative prosecution office into suspected unlawful detention and abuse of office. According to the text quoted by 444, investigators should primarily clarify the four men’s criminal liability, while sufficient grounds may already exist to question Farkas and Hajdu as suspects.
‘The Prosecutor General’s Office said its specialist department believed reasonable suspicion had arisen concerning senior figures’
The Prosecutor General’s Office has neither authenticated the leaked document nor explicitly denied its contents.
In its Thursday statement, the prosecution service explained that what is commonly described as a single affair actually involves two separate investigations. The National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV) is investigating suspected money laundering, while prosecutors are separately examining alleged irregularities and abuses surrounding the interception and detention of the Ukrainian convoy.
The convoy’s legal representative, Lóránt Horváth, alleges that the seven Ukrainian crew members were subjected to excessive force, prolonged handcuffing, hooding, humiliating searches, and unlawful detention. One crew member claimed that he was kept in handcuffs for 29 hours and injected against his will after becoming unwell. Their lawyers have also questioned whether the seized vehicles, cash, and gold were initially held without a valid written official order.
Reacting to the leaked internal document, Horváth filed a motion requesting the arrests of Viktor Orbán, János Hajdu, Örs Farkas, and Tamás Demeter. The attorney cites seven counts of unlawful detention and coercion committed for base motives and involving the mistreatment of the victims. According to 24.hu, which claims to have obtained the motion, Horváth specifically relies on ‘reports appearing in the press’ to justify the request.
The Prosecutor General’s Office said its specialist department believed reasonable suspicion had arisen concerning senior figures, while the investigating prosecutors wanted to carry out procedural measures in a different order. Prosecutor General Gábor Bálint Nagy had repeatedly instructed prosecutors in writing to examine every aspect of the case, regardless of the individuals or organizations involved, it added.
‘Horváth filed a motion requesting the arrests of Viktor Orbán, János Hajdu, Örs Farkas, and Tamás Demeter’
The statement followed Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s demand for information about the investigation. Magyar said figures associated with the previous Orbán government had exercised, or continued to exercise, influence over investigative authorities. He called on Nagy to remove such individuals from the prosecution service or resign if he was unable or unwilling to do so.
Magyar claimed that the Constitution Protection Office, the Information Office, NAV, the Counter Terrorism Centre, and the prosecution service were attempting to shift responsibility onto each other. However, he said the final authorization had come from ‘a much higher level’, an obvious reference to Orbán himself.
Reacting to the statement, Fidesz accused Magyar’s government of ‘acting in accordance with Ukrainian interests’ and threatening officials who had defended Hungary’s security. The former governing party argued that enormous quantities of currency and gold had passed through Hungary since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine and that investigating their origin and intended use was a matter of national security. ‘Hungary cannot be a money-laundering centre and transit corridor used by the Ukrainians without restrictions or controls,’ Fidesz said.
The controversial case began on 5 March, when TEK officers intercepted two Ukrainian armoured vehicles travelling from Austria to Ukraine and seized €35 million, $40 million, and nine kilograms of investment gold, together worth more than 27 billion forints. The video of the operation is still available on the official YouTube channel of the Hungarian government.
The assets were returned to Ukraine in early May. According to earlier media reports, citing several sources familiar with the operation, Orbán had personally ordered the interception, and its timing had been determined at the government level. Orbán has not been formally named as a suspect and has yet to comment on the matter at the time of writing.
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