Oschadbank JSC has reported that it has not received any official information from Hungarian authorities either before or after the detention of its employees on Hungarian territory. The Ukrainian cash transporters, who were on a scheduled route, have still not been allowed consular support.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Detention of Cash Transporters and Bank’s Reaction
The financial institution emphasizes that it sees no legal grounds for the detention of its cash transport vehicles and accompanying personnel, who were following a traditional route. According to the bank, since the beginning of the full-scale aggression by the Russian Federation, the transportation of foreign currency and banking metals has been carried out exclusively by land. Such routes are performed weekly by Oschadbank’s cash transport vehicles, which have the appropriate license for international transport.
The statement also highlights that the valuables in the detained vehicles belong to the state bank. These are funds entrusted to Oschadbank by citizens and businesses of Ukraine, intended to ensure cash circulation in the domestic market.
“These are funds that were entrusted to the bank by citizens and businesses of Ukraine. They were being transported from Austria for further use in circulation and to saturate the cash market of Ukraine. The total amount of Oschadbank’s funds, the fate of which is currently unknown, is 40 million US dollars, 35 million euros, and 9 kg of gold.”
Official Positions of the Parties and Further Developments
On March 6, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stated that the Hungarian authorities had “taken hostage” seven employees of Oschadbank, who were executing a route with two cash transport vehicles between Austria and Ukraine. In this regard, the National Police of Ukraine has initiated criminal proceedings regarding the abduction of Ukrainian citizens and the bank’s service vehicles on Hungarian territory.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has recommended that Ukrainian citizens temporarily refrain from traveling to Hungary or transiting through its territory.
At the same time, Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Peter Szijjarto, stated that the Hungarian authorities have questions regarding the legality of transporting a large sum of cash through the country. According to him, clear explanations from Kyiv regarding the origin and purpose of these funds are necessary before the investigation proceeds.
As reported by the spokesperson for the Hungarian government, Zoltan Kovacs, all seven Ukrainian citizens who were in the cash transport vehicles have been identified. The government plans to expel them from the country, but the fate of the detained funds remains uncertain.
On the eve, the Hungarian government sharply reacted to a statement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who hinted at a briefing in Kyiv, without naming specific individuals, that he might pass on to the Ukrainian military the address of “one person in the European Union” who is blocking assistance to Ukraine. This statement was labeled an “open threat” in Hungary.