Fidesz parliamentary group leader Máté Kocsis has submitted a bill concerning the assets seized from the Ukrainian savings bank. The Hungarian Parliament will discuss the proposal under an extraordinary procedure, as was revealed during the public portion of Monday’s meeting of the National Security Committee. Although the committee otherwise held a closed session, its members moved to another room to discuss Kocsis’s bill, where the meeting was briefly open to the public.
When explaining the proposal, Kocsis said that many aspects of the case known as the “Ukrainian gold convoy” remain unclear. The proposal concerns the “unusual amount” of cash and gold transported through Hungary. Kocsis suggested that the assets seized last week should remain confiscated until the end of the procedure initiated by Hungary’s National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV). The Fidesz member of the committee said that authorities are examining how the purpose and intended use of the transported assets could affect national security. However, he stated that the method of transportation and the identities of the individuals involved pose a national security risk to Hungary.
The proposal was debated by MPs in a very short time. Zsolt Molnár of the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) objected to why Kocsis submitted the proposal now, just before the elections, and why it had been introduced so quickly. Zoltán Sas, the Jobbik chairman of the committee, also criticized the speed with which the proposal was prepared, saying there had been no time to examine it in detail. Sas also said the proposal raises concerns about retroactive legislation. At the same time, they agreed that the case may indeed pose a national security risk.
Kocsis briefly responded to their concerns, saying that although the issue of retroactive effect may indeed arise, the proposal specifically concerns this particular case, and legislation is therefore necessary. He apologized for submitting the proposal in such a short time but explained that Parliament will only meet on Monday and Tuesday before the elections, so a decision on the proposal must be made urgently.
Kocsis’s proposal was approved by the committee with four votes in favor and two abstentions. Jobbik’s Zoltán Sas and MSZP’s Zsolt Molnár abstained. The committee members voted the same way on recommending to Parliament that the bill be debated under an extraordinary procedure.
On Sunday, the Ukrainian Savings Bank announced that it would demand the return of the cash and gold seized from the armored transport vehicles by Hungarian authorities. On March 6, it was revealed that Hungarian authorities had intercepted two Ukrainian cash transport vehicles on the M0 ring road, on the section between the M4 and M5 motorways, near the Alacska rest area. On that same day, the National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV) announced that it had launched a criminal investigation on suspicion of money laundering in connection with the Ukrainian cash transports seized in Hungary.
The case, which could dominate the election campaign, has been summarized in detail in our article.
Photo: István Huszti / Telex