Hungary’s anti-corruption agency, NVVH, says it found cash worth €17.7 million while investigating former development minister Miklós Seszták. The reported discovery is a major new investigative step, but it does not settle where the money came from or whether Seszták bears criminal responsibility.
NVVH said searches at several locations uncovered large quantities of cash in different currencies. According to the agency’s account, the money was buried in forests and hidden in agricultural buildings, warehouses, residential properties and high-value safes at remote locations. It said the funds had been transferred to an account of the Hungarian state treasury. Der Spiegel reports that 12 finance-authority staff counted the cash for eight hours using five machines.
Seszták served as development minister from 2014 to 2018 under then-prime minister Viktor Orbán. Reporting says he is accused of accepting kickbacks linked to state transport companies buying used buses at inflated prices. He denies the bribery allegations.
That distinction matters. The agency’s reported discovery and transfer to the treasury make this a concrete point of scrutiny in the case and strengthen the case for a transparent accounting of the money trail. They do not, on their own, establish legal ownership of the cash, prove a link to the alleged kickbacks, or determine Seszták’s guilt.
The discovery is already being used in political argument. Prime Minister Péter Magyar called it a turning point and attacked Fidesz, Der Spiegel reports. That is a political assessment, not a substitute for the evidentiary work required in a criminal case. The consequential next questions concern documentary evidence of the cash’s origin, any connection to alleged payments, and decisions by the competent courts and prosecutors.
Source: Der Spiegel, 14 November 2026: https://www.spiegel.de/ausland/ungarn-bei-korruptionsermittlungen-gegen-ex-minister-17-7-millionen-euro-sichergestellt-a-388f3d15-9839-401e-85c8-9ae015ee2c6b
Sources
- Der Spiegel · Source date: 2026-11-14
Independent editorial content. WUA is not affiliated with any political party. 2026-11-14