The National Tax and Customs Administration is currently investigating an alleged crime in connection with Ukrainians transporting "an astonishing amount of cash and gold through Hungary" in recent months, Szijjarto said, according to a ministry statement.

"Since January, a total of 900 million dollars and 420 million euros has been transported through Hungary in cash, as well as 146 kilogrammes of gold bars," he said.

"We have a number of serious questions about this. First of all, this is a huge amount of cash, and we wonder why the Ukrainians need to transport such a large amount of cash. If it is true that this is a transaction between banks, then the question rightly arises as to why the banks do not settle this between themselves by bank transfer, why it is necessary to transport such a large amount of cash, and why it has to be through Hungary," he added.

"These questions arise mainly because these cash shipments are accompanied by people who have clear ties to the Ukrainian secret services. We demand an explanation as to why the Ukrainians have transported such a staggering amount of cash through Hungary in recent months. What is this money being used for, and whose money is it?" he said.

He said another question that demanded an explanation was whether this money was only transported through Hungary, or whether it was sometimes stopped here and possibly used by someone in Hungary, or whether it was used here in Hungary for someone's benefit.

"It is reasonable to ask whether this is money from the Ukrainian war mafia," he said.

"We demand immediate answers and explanations to these serious questions from the Ukrainian side. Until this happens, the Hungarian authorities will, of course, conduct the most thorough and in-depth investigation possible," he said.

The National Tax and Customs Administration is conducting criminal proceedings on suspicion of money laundering after seven Ukrainian citizens, including a former secret service general, were arrested on Thursday for transporting 40 million dollars, 35 million euros, and 9 kilogrammess of gold from Austria to Ukraine via Hungary.

KTK: Ukrainian citizens involved in cash, gold transport to be expelled from Hungary

Seven Ukrainian citizens who participated in the transport of cash and gold in Hungary will be expelled on Friday, the Government Information Center (KTK) said.

During the proceedings conducted by the National Tax and Customs Administration, "the background of the seven Ukrainian citizens apprehended was identified," the statement said.

It was revealed that the transport of cash and gold in Hungary had been supervised by a former general of the Ukrainian Defence Service, his deputy was a former major of the Ukrainian Air Force, and their work was assisted by individuals with military experience, it added.

Taking these factors into account, they will be expelled from Hungary on Friday, KTK said.
 

MTI Stock Photo - for illustrative purposes only

Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent.

Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media.

XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com
 

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