Hungary files a criminal complaint over $965M COVID-19 ventilator deal, citing possible fraud

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary's foreign ministry has filed a criminal complaint with prosecutors over what it says was possible fraud related to the previous government's purchase of ventilators worth some $965 million during the COVID-19 pandemic, Foreign Minister Anita Orbán said Tuesday.

Hungary's previous government under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán purchased the roughly 17,000 ventilators from China in March and April 2020, drawing criticism at the time that it was buying far more units than could be realistically deployed and paying much more per unit than other European countries.

In a video posted to Facebook on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Orbán, who is not related to the former prime minister, said the results of a ministry investigation into the purchase “raises suspicions of breach of fiduciary duty causing particularly substantial financial loss and other criminal offenses.”

She didn't detail specific allegations, but noted that the investigation involved tens of thousands of documents — some of which had to be recovered using digital tools “after unsuccessful attempts to delete them” — and raised further questions “about the responsibility of the ministry’s former senior leadership.”