Hungary will return Ukraine's armored cash-in-transit vehicles without valuables – media

Hungarian authorities have agreed to return both seized armored cash-in-transit vehicles to the Ukrainian Oschadbank, but will keep the cash and gold they were transporting, European Pravda has said, with reference to informed sources.

According to the publication, investigators from Hungary’s National Tax and Customs Administration informed lawyers for the Ukrainian side of their intention to hand over the seized vehicles. Their transfer was expected to take place on Thursday morning. The gold and currency values seized by Hungarian authorities from the bank vehicles will remain in the country, in accordance with a law recently passed by the country’s parliament.

As reported, on March 5 in Hungary, during a special operation by the Counter Terrorism Centre (TEK) at a gas station on the M5 motorway, two Ukrainian armored cash-in-transit vehicles carrying $40 million, EUR 35 million, and 9 kg of gold were detained. Seven bank employees were also detained; they were later released and sent back to Ukraine.

The National Police of Ukraine has initiated criminal proceedings regarding the abduction of Ukrainian citizens and the JSC Oschadbank service vehicle on Hungarian territory. On March 9, the Hungarian Ambassador to Ukraine, Antal Heizer, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, where a strong protest was issued over the seizure of hostages and valuables.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the detention of the Oschadbank armored convoy in Hungary an act of banditry.