Hungary’s anti-corruption agency announced on Friday, 13 November 2026, that it had seized cash valued at $19.5m (£14.8m). The money was discovered buried in forests and hidden in various other locations as part of an ongoing graft inquiry.
The investigation targets Miklós Seszták, who served as Hungary’s minister of national development between 2014 and 2018 under former leader Viktor Orbán. Seszták is accused of accepting bribes in a scheme involving the state transport company, which allegedly purchased secondhand buses at inflated prices.
The National Asset Recovery and Protection Office (NVVH), an anti-graft body, conducted searches at several locations on Thursday and Friday. The NVVH stated that investigators found large amounts of cash buried in forests, hidden in agricultural and warehouse buildings, residential properties, and stored in safes. The total amount found was 5,071,632,000 forints, €2,658,350, and US $1,257,100, combining to $19.5m.
Prime Minister Péter Magyar, who won a landslide election in April after promising to investigate alleged corruption from the Orbán era, described the seizure as a potential turning point. He stated, "This officially marks the end of the Fidesz-KDNP mafia!" referring to Orbán’s former governing coalition. The seized cash has been deposited into the Hungarian State Treasury’s account.