Hungary seizes €17.5 million in cash linked to former minister
Authorities say investigators found billions of forints buried and cash stored in multiple locations during a probe linked to former minister Miklós Seszták.
Hungarian authorities announced the seizure of €17.5 million in cash linked to a former government minister who served under Viktor Orbán.
The National Asset Recovery and Protection Office said investigators recovered "large amounts of cash buried in forests, hidden in agricultural buildings, warehouses and residential properties, some placed in a valuable safe at a hidden location."
Officials reported the haul included more than five billion forints, about €2.6 million and about $1.2 million, a total that amounts to roughly €17.5 million. The discovery followed two days of searches in Budapest and three Hungarian regions.
Video shows piles of banknotes being unearthed
The office released footage showing bundles of forints being dug out of the ground. When the money was handed over for counting, 12 employees of the Hungarian State Treasury spent eight hours processing the cash using five cash-counting machines.
The investigation centers on Miklós Seszták, a former minister in the government of Viktor Orbán. Authorities say the seized cash belonged to him; searches were carried out across multiple locations as part of the probe.
A public post by Magyar Péter (Ne féljetek) on November 13, 2026 declared: "From today, Viktor Orbán is proven to be a mafia boss. An ousted mafia boss. And Fidesz is a criminal organisation." The inquiry is ongoing and officials have released limited details as they continue evidence processing.
Photo: press material from the event
