Orbán brother allegedly sought Austrian help to stop Ukrainian cash convoy

A new set of messages released by 444 shows Orbán Áron contacting a Hungarian entrepreneur living in Graz, Lászlóvári-Thoma Csongor, on March 26 to ask if Austrian officials could stop an incoming Ukrainian cash convoy. He offered to link Austrian authorities with a person who possessed detailed information on the convoy’s Austrian leg. The businessman verified the contact and subsequently reported it to Austrian secret services and the Austrian People's Party.

This outreach occurred shortly after Hungarian agencies seized a convoy on the M0 highway that contained $40 million, €35 million and nine kilograms of gold. The Hungarian investigation, initially launched on suspicion of money laundering, was later dropped when Austrian authorities confirmed the legality of the shipment. The case raises questions about why a private individual would involve foreign authorities and what information he claimed to have.