Hungarian investigators seize $19.5m in cash during bribery probe

Hungary’s anti-corruption agency says it has seized cash worth $19.5m during searches linked to a bribery investigation into former national development minister Miklós Seszták. The case matters as Prime Minister Péter Magyar pursues corruption inquiries following his April election victory, which ended Viktor Orbán’s 16 years in power.

Investigators said they found the money buried in forests and concealed in agricultural, warehouse and residential properties, as well as in safes at secluded locations. The haul comprised 5,071,632,000 forints, €2,658,350 and $1,257,100; treasury staff took eight hours to count it. Seszták is accused of taking bribes in a scheme involving inflated prices for secondhand buses bought by the state transport company.