Ukraine praises end to Hungary's 'gold convoy' investigation, calls for more accountability
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Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha praised on Aug. 19 Hungary's closure of a money laundering investigation into a Ukrainian bank convoy from earlier in the spring, adding that "betting on anti-Ukrainian rhetoric for domestic gain yields nothing but political defeat and shame."
Hungarian authorities seized two bank vehicles in March traveling from Austria to Ukraine that were transporting a shipment of cash and gold worth about $82 million, claiming they were investigating a money laundering scheme.
Employees of Ukraine's state Oschadbank who were accompanying the shipment were briefly detained by Hungarian authorities before being released the next day.
Kyiv dismissed all accusations at the time and condemned the seizure as "state terrorism."
Earlier on June 17, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar ordered an internal investigation into the government agencies implicated in the so-called "gold convoy" scandal that had become one of the biggest diplomatic strains between Hungary and Ukraine under former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
The Hungarian Tax and Customs Administration subsequently closed its money laundering investigation after determining that no crime had been committed.
A Hungarian media investigation alleged that Orban ordered the Ukrainian gold seizure "for political reasons."
In his Aug. 19 statement, Sybiha called on the latest developments in the case to "continue beyond public shame."
"Everyone involved in fabricating this sham and illegally detaining our people and state property must be held accountable," Sybiha said.
