Hungary’s foreign ministry has filed a criminal complaint over its pandemic ventilator buy.
Why it matters: The move revives scrutiny of one of Hungary’s biggest COVID-era procurement scandals and could widen questions about emergency spending, transparency and corruption. It also puts pressure on how governments justify rushed public-health purchases made under crisis rules.
- The complaint was filed Aug. 25, 2026 with prosecutors over possible fraud and other crimes.
- It concerns roughly 17,000 ventilators bought from China in March and April 2020 for about 300 billion forints, or roughly $965 million.
- Foreign Minister Anita Orbán said an internal review found thousands of surplus ventilators were bought at inflated prices.
- Transparency International Hungary has long criticized the deal over intermediaries and public procurement transparency concerns.
Hungary’s foreign ministry has referred its pandemic-era ventilator purchase to prosecutors, saying an internal review found possible fraud and other criminal offenses tied to the deal. The complaint was filed in Budapest on Aug. 25, 2026, according to AP and Reuters.
The case centers on nearly 17,000 ventilators purchased from China in March and April 2020 for about 300 billion forints, or roughly $965 million. Foreign Minister Anita Orbán said the ministry’s review suggests the state bought thousands of surplus ventilators at inflated prices and that the number purchased far exceeded Hungary’s capacity to use them.
In a statement cited by AP, the government said most of the ventilators were bought through intermediary companies whose revenues rose sharply from the transaction. Transparency International Hungary has long criticized the procurement, saying it involved overpriced purchases, intermediaries linked to politically connected business circles and legal questions around transparency and public procurement exemptions.
The buying spree came during the emergency first wave of COVID-19, when Viktor Orbán’s government was aggressively importing protective gear from China. The current complaint reframes the episode from a procurement controversy into a potential criminal case.
It is not yet clear whether prosecutors have opened a formal investigation after receiving the complaint.
By the numbers
- 300 billion forints - the approximate value of the ventilator deal, or about $965 million.
- Nearly 17,000 - the approximate number of ventilators Hungary bought.
- 88 gigabytes - the reported evidence base cited for the complaint, including about 130,000 recovered files.
Yes, but: The reporting does not say whether prosecutors have formally opened a criminal investigation, and it does not identify the intermediary companies named in the complaint.
What's next: Hungary’s prosecutors will review the complaint; the next key question is whether they open a formal investigation.