Peter Magyar has called for Viktor Orbán to be held to account over the Oschadbank case
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar has accused his predecessor, Viktor Orbán, of abuse of power in connection with a raid by Hungarian law enforcement officers on employees of the Ukrainian state-owned Oschadbank.
Mágyar made the statement on Facebook, commenting on a journalistic investigation by Telex into Orbán’s role in the activities of law enforcement agencies and the secret services.
“Viktor Orbán personally, through direct control, directed the work of law enforcement agencies and the secret services. He himself decided whether to carry out searches and raids or, conversely, to drag out cases. He must be held accountable for this!” wrote Péter Magyar.
He also called for the Telex report to be shared so that the Hungarian Prosecutor General would take notice of it.
The Telex investigation claims that the detention of Ukrainian cash-in-transit guards near Budapest on 5 March and the seizure of Oschadbank funds were part of a premeditated operation by the Hungarian authorities. According to the journalists, Viktor Orbán allegedly personally gave the order to carry out the raid and set its date.
The publication’s sources claim that the operation lacked proper legal grounds and was the result of a political decision. The report states that the government led by Orbán decided to carry out a raid on the so-called ‘Ukrainian gold convoy’ specifically on 5 March.
According to Telex, in early March, the State Secretariat for the Supervision of Civil National Security Services under the Prime Minister’s Office issued an order to carry out the operation on that day. The publication also cites several sources who claim that Orbán received updates on the operation’s progress and personally oversaw its execution.
Journalists link the possible motives for such actions to the situation surrounding the Druzhba oil pipeline. According to their information, Orbán was dissatisfied with the pace of resuming the flow of crude oil following damage to the infrastructure and sought to put pressure on Ukraine.
The article also states that media outlets linked to the Fidesz party circulated AI-generated images of the detained cash collectors and published reports alleging that the Hungarian opposition was being funded with money from Ukraine.
Following the parliamentary elections in Hungary, it emerged that on 6 May, the funds and gold seized during the raid on 5 March were returned to Oschadbank.
