Hungarian official said Orbán was behind detention of Ukrainian cash couriers, prosecutor's memo shows

The memo, cited by Hungarian outlet Telex, summarizes a June 22 meeting between prosecutors and István Szathmáry, an official with Hungary's Constitution Protection Office.

Szathmáry told prosecutors that Hungarian authorities had investigated the case, known in Hungary as the "gold convoy" affair, before the country's change of government.

During that earlier investigation, a committee examined who had ordered the operation that led to the Ukrainians' detention.

According to the prosecutor's memo, former Counter Terrorism Centre chief János Hajdu told the committee that investigating the question was pointless because everyone knew the detention had been carried out on the decision of a person "who cannot be dragged into the case."

Szathmáry said it was clear to everyone present that Hajdu was referring to Orbán, according to the memo.

The document does not record Hajdu explicitly naming Orbán or establish that Orbán personally issued the order.

Telex had previously reported, citing its own sources, that Orbán personally decided to launch the operation against the Ukrainian convoy and that the timing of the raid had also come from the government.

Hungarian prosecutors previously disputed claims of Orbán's involvement.

Hajdu has since been named a suspect in the investigation over seven alleged counts of unlawful detention involving mistreatment of the victims, according to Telex. He has denied committing a crime and challenged the allegations.

Orbán later publicly praised Hajdu as a "hero" over the operation, saying he had stopped what Orbán described as Ukrainian "black money" and gold shipments passing through Hungary.

Hungarian authorities detained seven employees of Ukraine's state-owned Oschadbank on March 5 as they transported $40 million, €35 million and 9 kilograms (20 pounds) of gold through the country.

Hungarian tax and customs authorities said the Ukrainians were detained on suspicion of money laundering. Oschadbank said the shipment complied with international transport rules and European customs procedures.

The seven employees were released the following day. Their two armored vehicles were returned on March 12, initially without the money and valuables.

The seized funds and valuables were returned to Oschadbank after Hungary's change of government.