Hungarian authorities drop case against Oschadbank cash couriers, citing no crime

Hungary’s Tax and Customs Administration, NAV, has dismissed the criminal case against Ukrainian Oschadbank armored transport couriers detained in March, determining that no criminal activity had occurred, according to Lorant Horvath, the couriers' and Ukrainian bank's lawyer. NAV stated in its decision that the origin of the seized cash, gold, and banknotes, initially considered of unknown origin, had been fully established.

The valuable items originated from an interbank transaction between Raiffeisen Bank International AG and Oschadbank, with the Austrian bank providing documentation confirming the nature of the assets. The ruling also indicated that evidence collected during the proceedings confirmed the property's legal origin and that no suspicion arose of any crime other than the initial money laundering allegation.

In March, Hungary’s Counter Terrorism Centre detained two armored vans carrying $40 million, 35 million euros, and 9 kilograms of gold, ostensibly for money laundering. The shipment, ordered by Ukraine’s state-owned Oschadbank and dispatched by Raiffeisen in Vienna, was legally authorized and intended for export, not import. Despite initial suspicion, the vehicles were later returned to the Ukrainian side following a power change, with the cash and gold bars also returned to the Ukrainian counterpart.

An investigation was initiated, during which former TEK chief Janos Hajdu was questioned. According to investigative outlet Telex, the seizure of the Ukrainian couriers and Oschadbank funds in March 2026 was a personal decision by then-Prime Minister Viktor Orban, with no sufficient legal grounds for the operation.