Hungary files a criminal complaint over $965M COVID-19 ventilator deal, citing possible fraud

Hungary's foreign ministry has lodged a criminal complaint with prosecutors, alleging potential fraud connected to a $965 million COVID-19 ventilator deal made during the previous government's tenure, according to Foreign Minister Anita Orbán. The previous administration, led by former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, had purchased roughly 17,000 ventilators from China in March and April 2020, sparking criticism for the excessive quantity purchased and the higher per-unit cost compared to other European nations at the time.

Orbán, foreign minister and not related to the former prime minister, stated in a Facebook video that the ministry's investigation findings "suggest suspicions of breach of fiduciary duty, causing particularly substantial financial loss and other criminal offenses." The investigation reportedly scrutinized tens of thousands of documents, some of which were retrieved using digital tools after attempts to delete them.

The statement accompanying the complaint highlighted possible irregularities, including most units procured through intermediary companies that saw their revenues surge due to the transaction. Additionally, some ventilators were defective, a large proportion remained undeployed, and storage costs for the unused devices reached millions of dollars.