BUDAPEST, March 6. /TASS/. Hungary is demanding explanations from Ukraine regarding the transport of a large sum of money by Ukrainian citizens through Hungarian territory, which may be linked to mafia structures, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said after secure cash delivery vehicles and employees of Ukraine’s state-owned Oschadbank were detained in the country.
The foreign minister confirmed that Hungarian law enforcement agencies had detained armored vehicles transporting valuables belonging to Oschadbank and had launched an investigation into Ukrainian citizens on suspicion of money laundering. "The reasonable question arises as to whether this involves money belonging to the Ukrainian military mafia. We demand immediate answers and explanations from the Ukrainian side on these serious questions," MTI quoted Szijjarto as saying.
The minister noted that Hungary’s National Tax and Customs Administration is currently investigating a "shocking crime" involving Ukrainians transporting large quantities of cash and gold through Hungary in recent months. "Since January, a total of $900 million and €420 million in cash, as well as 146 kilograms of gold bars, have been transported through Hungary," he said.
"We have some serious questions in this regard. First, this is a huge amount of cash, and why did Ukrainians need to transport such a large amount? If this is really a transaction between banks, then the question arises as to why the banks do not settle accounts between themselves by transfer, and why such a large amount of cash has to pass through Hungary at all," Szijjarto wondered.
According to him, many questions also arise because "these cash shipments are accompanied by people who have clear ties to the Ukrainian special services." "We demand an explanation as to why Ukrainians have been transporting such large amounts of cash through Hungary in recent months. Where is this money going, and whose money is it?" the foreign minister asked. He warned that "the Hungarian authorities will conduct the most thorough investigation possible" into this matter.
Earlier, the Hungarian National Tax and Customs Administration opened a criminal case against seven Ukrainian citizens, including a former special services general, who transported $40 million, €35 million, and 9 kg of gold from Austria to Ukraine through Hungarian territory in two secure cash delivery vehicles.