Hungary's anti-corruption agency said on Friday it had seized cash worth $19.5m (£14.8m) buried in forests and hidden elsewhere, during a criminal investigation into Miklós Seszták, a former minister in Viktor Orbán's cabinet.

What investigators found

The National Asset Recovery and Protection Office (NVVH), an anti-graft body with sweeping powers created as part of Magyar's accountability drive, searched several locations on Thursday and Friday in the criminal proceedings against Seszták.

Across the two days, teams dug money out of forest soil and pulled it from farm and warehouse buildings, homes and high-value safes kept in isolated spots. Counted together, the haul came to 5,071,632,000 forints, €2,658,350 and $1,257,100, putting its total value at $19.5m.

• •NVVH staff deposited the cash into the Hungarian State Treasury's account
• •Finance Minister András Kármán said on Facebook that 12 Treasury employees spent 8 hours counting the money using 5 counting machines

The case against Seszták

Seszták held the national development portfolio in Hungary's government from 2014 to 2018. Prosecutors allege he accepted kickbacks tied to the state transport company's purchase of secondhand buses, which were bought at prices above their real value.

Political reactions

Prime Minister Péter Magyar took office after a landslide election win in April that removed Orbán from the post he had held for 16 years; a pledge to look into alleged corruption under his predecessor's rule was central to that campaign. He greeted the seizure as a possible turning point:

His words were aimed at the coalition Orbán once led. Orbán has stayed silent on the seizure, though he earlier condemned the investigations into his circle as "political persecution" designed to put him behind bars.

A widening accountability drive

The pace of graft inquiries has picked up sharply in recent weeks: besides Seszták, they have landed two more ministers from the Orbán years, along with the ex-premier's brother, in custody, each in a separate case.