Zelenskyy to discuss with Magyar Hungary's return of Oschadbank funds
Ukraine would like to recover Oschadbank funds that were detained, and this issue is planned to be discussed with the leader of the Tisza party, which won the elections in Hungary, Péter Magyar, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
"We would like to get the money back; we will talk to Magyar. Orbán stole this money," Zelenskyy said in an interview for the national telethon on Sunday.
As reported, on March 5 in Hungary, during a special operation by the Counter-Terrorism Centre, two Ukrainian cash-in-transit vehicles were detained at a gas station on the M5 motorway, transporting $40 million, EUR 35 million, and 9 kg of gold. Seven cash collection officers were also detained, who were later released and transferred to Ukraine.
The National Police of Ukraine opened criminal proceedings over the abduction of Ukrainian citizens and Oschadbank service vehicles on Hungarian territory.
Zelenskyy described the detention of the Oschadbank cash convoy in Hungary as an act of banditry. On March 9, Hungary’s Ambassador to Ukraine, Antal Heizer, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, where a strong protest was lodged over the hostage-taking and seizure of valuables.
On March 12, it was reported that the state-owned Oschadbank’s cash-in-transit vehicles, which had been unlawfully detained in Hungary, were returned on Thursday to Oschadbank representatives and Ukrainian diplomats. At the same time, the funds and valuables ($40 million, EUR 35 million, and 9 kg of bank gold) remain unlawfully detained in Hungary.
