Species buried in forests, hidden in buildings and kept in a safe: the Seszták case in Hungary has taken on a new dimension. On 13 November 2026, the National Asset Recovery and Protection Office, the NVVH, announced an important seizure. The next day, the leader of the Christian Democratic Parliamentary Group asked the former minister to return his mandate. His defense contests that the amounts recovered can be attributed to him.
Two temporalities must be distinguished. The research took place on 12 and 13 November. The official communiqué was issued on Friday evening at 8:14 p.m. Budapest time. Political reactions and those of the lawyer intervened on Saturday, 14 November. The discovery therefore predates the appeals for resignation which gave him a new political scope.
The Seszták case in Hungary: three currencies seized
The NVVH details the amounts, without reducing them to an approximate conversion: 5,071,632,000 forints, 2,658,350 euros and 1,257,100 US dollars. The operations involved Budapest and the counties of Pest, Békés and Nógrád.
According to the Office, the investigators found tickets in several types of caches. Part was buried in the forest. Other amounts were in agricultural buildings, warehouses and a residential building. The research also led to a high-value safe in a hidden place.
The communiqué states that the agents deposited the cash in the Hungarian Treasury on 13 November. He thanked the police, the National Bureau of Investigation, the tax administration and the Treasury for their assistance. This announcement describes a seizure operation in criminal proceedings. It does not constitute a judicial decision establishing who owns each sum.
Counsel contests the allocation of money
This distinction is at the heart of Gábor Papp’s response, Miklós Seszták’s lawyer. In a statement published Saturday morning by the Hungarian press, he points out that the press release does not present cash as the property of his client. He only announces investigative actions in a case bearing his name.
Counsel recalls that the proceedings concern several suspects. He wished to consult the documents relating to the latest operations and specified that they were not yet available to him. He also invokes professional secrecy in order not to develop certain elements. Miklós Seszták challenges the offences against him.
The seizure and its procedural context are thus documented by the competent authority. The origin of the funds, their destination and their individual attachment remain judicial issues. Presenting these species as a permanently established personal enrichment of the former Minister would exceed the published information.
Public procurement suspicions
Miklós Seszták served as Minister of National Development from June 2014 to May 2018. The Public Prosecutor’s Office recalls that its portfolio included the supervision of the State Heritage Manager, the MNV, and responsibilities in transportation. The MNV exercised the owner’s rights over the transport company Volánbusz.
In a press release of 22 September 2026, the prosecutor’s office exposes its suspicions. The former Minister and the Director General of MNV reportedly received, through an intermediary, over 11 billion forints of unfair benefits between 2015 and 2018. The alleged payments are related to companies in contractual relationship with Volánbusz.
The Public Prosecutor ‘ s Office also describes a section concerning public works projects. A construction group would have proposed to pay 10% of the price of each contract to the minister through an intermediary. It mentions over one billion forints of unfair advantages in this component, as well as about 270 million in swimming pools and gymnasium projects. These are accusations of investigators, not facts established by a conviction.
KDNP calls for MP’s departure
On Saturday, Bence Retvári, leader of the parliamentary group of the Christian-Democratic People’s Party, KDNP, asked Miklós Seszták to return his mandate. The party site relayed this call on 14 November at 12:57 p.m. local time. The Christian Democratic leader also asks that the deputy explain himself to the authorities.
In the afternoon, Csaba Latorcai, Executive Vice-President of KDNP, announced that he had requested the opening of disciplinary and ethical proceedings. It also requested the suspension of Miklós Seszták’s membership during this procedure. These steps, reported by several Hungarian media outlets, must not be confused with an actual resignation from Parliament or a definitive exclusion.
The reactions of the Allied party to Fidesz add to a procedure that has already begun for several weeks. Parliament lifted Miklós Seszták’s immunity on 28 September. A judge ordered his detention on 30 September and extended it on 28 October until 30 January 2027. The defence had requested his release or a house surveillance measure.
The discovery of species now feeds both the investigation and requests for political withdrawal. At this stage, KDNP’s appeals do not replace the MP’s personal decision on his mandate or judicial audits of the funds seized.
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