Sybiha demanded punishment of those involved in the detention of cash collectors in Hungary
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha demanded that all those involved in the detention of Ukrainian cash collectors and property of the state-owned Oschadbank in Hungary be held accountable. The statement came after the Hungarian investigation closed the criminal proceedings on suspicion of money laundering due to the absence of corpus delicti.
Sybiha called this conclusion of the investigation a predictable outcome of Viktor Orban's accusations. According to the head of the Foreign Ministry, the story should end not only with a public recognition of the absence of a crime: the people who participated in creating the accusations and withholding Ukrainians and state property must be held responsible.
The minister also stated that what happened was a warning to politicians who use anti-Ukrainian rhetoric for domestic political purposes. Sybiha called the decision of the Hungarian tax and customs administration a confirmation of the position that Ukraine has held since the beginning of the conflict over the transportation.
Hungarian investigation found no crime
The closure of criminal proceedings became known on August 19. According to Oschadbank's lawyer Lorant Horvat, the National Tax and Customs Administration of Hungary established that the transported money and gold came from a legal interbank operation between Austria's Raiffeisen Bank International and Ukraine's Oschadbank.
Raiffeisen provided documents on the origin of the banknotes and precious metals, as well as confirmation of their payment by Oschadbank. The investigation concluded that the assets were not obtained by criminal means and there were no grounds to suspect another crime. Back in July, NAV reported that investigative actions carried out in Hungary did not confirm the commission of a crime, but the proceedings were then suspended until a response was received from the Austrian authorities.
Seven Ukrainians detained and millions seized in March
The incident occurred on March 5. Hungarian security forces stopped two armored vehicles of Oschadbank that were transporting $40 million, €35 million and 9 kg of gold from Austria to Ukraine. Along with the vehicles, seven Ukrainian cash collectors were detained. The Ukrainian side insisted from the very beginning that it was a legal banking operation with the necessary documents.
Later, the cash collectors were released, and the vehicles were returned to Ukraine. The Hungarian side held the money and gold longer – the full return of the valuables to Oschadbank was confirmed on May 6.
After the final closure of the proceedings, the Ukrainian side now insists on accountability for the circumstances of the detention itself and the withholding of property. At the same time, Sybiha's statement is a political assessment of what happened, while the question of possible violations by specific Hungarian officials requires a separate legal establishment.
Based on materials from: Andrii Sybiha, National Tax and Customs Administration of Hungary, Telex
