Cash Collectors, $40 Million and Gold: Oschadbank Prepares Lawsuits After High-Profile Detention in Hungary

Oschadbank has found itself at the center of an international controversy following an incident on March 5, 2026, in Hungary. On the Budapest ring road, Hungary’s Counter Terrorism Centre (TEK) detained two armored cash-in-transit vehicles and seven bank employees.

The team was transporting valuables from Vienna to Ukraine, including approximately $40 million, €35 million, and 9 kg of bank gold.

Circumstances of the detention

The transportation was carried out under a 2020 agreement with Raiffeisen Bank International and complied with European customs and transport regulations.

However, the following day the collectors were deported and banned from entering the Schengen Area for three years. A week later, the vehicles were returned damaged, without the الأموال, and with communication and surveillance equipment removed.

Oschadbank states it has received no official explanation from Hungarian authorities.

Legal response

The bank has initiated a комплекс of legal actions, including criminal, procedural, and international legal steps.

According to Asters managing partner Oleksii Didkovskyi, further actions will follow two main tracks:

• challenging the imposed restrictions and alleged violations of the collectors’ rights;
• pursuing legal measures to recover the seized funds and valuables.

The bank does not rule out lawsuits against a wide range of parties, including the Hungarian state.

Alleged rights violations

According to the collectors, they were held for over 24 hours without access to legal counsel or consular assistance. They reportedly spent about 28 hours in handcuffs and were subjected to psychological pressure.

One team member also reported being injected with unknown substances, later detected during medical examinations.

Market impact

Following the incident, Oschadbank temporarily suspended the import of cash currency into Ukraine. Currently, demand is being covered by the National Bank using its reserves.

The bank emphasizes that resolving the situation is critical, and safer logistics routes are now being explored.

 What’s next

Efforts to recover the funds and assess the legal implications are being carried out in coordination with the National Bank of Ukraine and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Oschadbank stresses that the case concerns not only financial losses but also the protection of employees’ rights and issues of international legal accountability.