Oschadbank claims video released by Hungarian NAV falsified
The state-owned Oschadbank has claimed that the Hungarian National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV) falsified a video released as evidence in a case involving the illegal retention in Hungary of the bank's funds and valuables seized in early March, the financial institution reported on its website.
"Oschadbank officially states that the published video was falsified: for publication to a Hungarian audience, it was subtitled in Hungarian and the phrase ‘corrupt money,’ which was missing from the audio track and on which NAV based its conclusions, was added," the bank said in on Wednesday.
According to the bank, NAV confirmed in a statement that the banknotes transported by Oschadbank were new, recently printed and not in circulation, which the bank claims is consistent with its legitimate activity of supplying cash currency to Ukraine in accordance with an international agreement with Raiffeisen Bank Austria.
In the statement, NAV published a link to a video, apparently obtained from the mobile phone of one of the cash collectors detained in Hungary.
The bank notes that the detained Ukrainian citizens have witness status, but nearly a month since their arrest, the investigative body has not responded to numerous inquiries regarding the legal basis for withholding employees' property, in particular the mobile phone of one of the cash collectors, as well as access to the information contained on it.
At the same time, the financial institution believes that the seizure of the mobile phone, its subsequent retention, and access to its contents were unlawful, and the publication of the video obtained from this device is illegal.
According to the bank, this video is archival and was recorded near Vienna on March 10, 2025. The document printing depicted in it is common practice, and during that trip, the cash-in-transit team was forced to use the power outlet in the parking lot due to a faulty inverter in the vehicle.
"All processes captured on video were duly documented and entered into the customs systems of the European Union and Ukraine, and the original documents with the corresponding stamps from the Hungarian and Ukrainian customs authorities are available," the bank added.
Oschadbank is demanding the return of assets seized in Hungary and has stated its readiness to take legal action due to the spread of disinformation. At the same time, the financial institution has engaged an international audit firm to verify the compliance of the contractual framework and procedures for the transportation of cash and valuables.
As reported, on March 5, 2026, two Oschadbank armored cash-in-transit vehicles carrying seven employees, $40 million, EUR 35 million, and 9 kg of bank gold were detained in Hungary while conducting a routine transportation of foreign currency and bank metals under an international agreement between Oschadbank and Raiffeisen Bank Austria. Hungary's National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV) later reported that criminal proceedings had been launched on suspicion of money laundering.
