Lawyer Dr. Lorant Horvath, who represents Oschadbank, said this on Wednesday, Ukrinform reports, citing Telex.

According to the NAV, the cash and gold of unknown origin mentioned in the complaint, as well as the banknotes and gold seized during the inspection can be traced back to an interbank transaction between Raiffeisen Bank and Oschadbank.

In addition, Raiffeisen Bank International AG has provided documentation verifying the origin of the banknotes and the precious metals which had been sold and were being transported, as well as the payment of the purchase price by Oschadbank.

The criminal investigation has confirmed that the banknotes and the gold had not been obtained through criminal activity, and there was no doubt as to the lawful origin and source of the assets.

Horvath said that in the absence of the legal elements of a crime, the act does not constitute a criminal offense, and no suspicion of any other criminal offense has arisen.

The NAV had previously suspended the investigation in July. At that time, a decision to fully close the case had not yet been made, but they did announce that, based on the information available at that point, the cash transporters had not committed a crime.

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Oschadbank CEO Yuriy Katsiion said that "it is important for Oschadbank that the Hungarian investigation thoroughly examined all circumstances surrounding the transportation of the valuables, including the origin of the funds and precious metals, documentation, customs procedures and banking transactions." "As a result, it was established that the assets had a lawful origin and were obtained as part of regular interbank operations. The criminal proceedings were terminated due to the absence of the elements of a criminal offense," he said.

He added that the bank welcomed the decision and would "continue to ensure the highest standards of transparency and compliance with the law in all of the bank's operations."

On March 6, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that Hungarian authorities in Budapest had taken seven Ukrainian citizens – Oschadbank employees – hostage and stolen the money they were transporting. According to him, the seven Oschadbank employees were traveling in two bank vehicles in transit between Austria and Ukraine, carrying cash as part of regular servicing between state-owned banks.

Later that day, Hungary's tax authority confirmed that it had detained seven Oschadbank cash couriers and two vehicles carrying cash, saying it had opened criminal proceedings on suspicion of money laundering.

Hungarian media later reported, citing sources, that former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had personally ordered the seizure of the vehicles and Oschadbank cash couriers in March. Peter Magyar responded to the reports, saying that Orban should be held accountable for how he ran the country's intelligence services.

Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar ordered an investigation into the scandal surrounding the Ukrainian cash couriers and Oschadbank vehicles detained in Hungary in March.

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