Hungary's Foreign Ministry Files Criminal Complaint Over Ventilator Purchase
Summary
Hungary’s Foreign Ministry has filed a criminal complaint over alleged fraud and irregularities in a COVID-19 ventilator purchase worth about $965 million. The ministry says tens of thousands of documents were reviewed and some deleted files were recovered from digital devices during the investigation.
Key Points
- Hungary’s Foreign Ministry filed a criminal complaint with prosecutors over a potential fraud in the ventilator purchase made during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Foreign Minister Anita Orban said the government bought about 17,000 ventilators from China in March and April 2020 at a much higher price than in other European countries.
- The ministry’s investigation found suspicion of breach of trust, possible major financial damage and other criminal activity.
- Hungarian officials said most of the equipment was bought through intermediary companies whose income rose sharply after the deal.
