A Ukrainian woman was caught carrying $28 million in cash while escaping her war-torn country.
Anastasia Kovitska, the wife of a uranium tycoon and former member of parliament Igor Kovitsky, was reportedly apprehended by Hungarian customs officers while trying to enter the EU via a refugee border crossing.
According to the Obozrevatel newspaper, the woman, who traveled with her mother and two Hungarian men, carried $28 million and an additional €1.3 million in cash in her suitcases.
The cash was discovered by Hungarian officials, whereas a criminal investigation has since been launched into the incident over claims that Kovitska declared the money upon her arrival in Hungary but failed to declare the large haul upon exiting Ukraine.
Following these reports, Kovitsky denied claims that his wife escaped Ukraine with millions in cash while insisting he left to give birth abroad.
“All my money is in Ukrainian banks, I did not take anything out,” the former MP claimed before turning off his social media accounts.
Meanwhile, the couple’s 24-year-old daughter, Violetta, called the Hungarian reports “fake” and branded them as “rumors.”
Since these allegations have made headlines, there have also been repeated calls for an investigation into Ukrainian border guards who work in key refugee border crossings.
As Seyar Khushutov, a businessman from Kyiv, claimed, some border guards allow this to go on by accepting bribes in exchange for uninterrupted border crossings.
“In other western regions, the situation is no better. The names of the customs officers and border guards who do this are well known in narrow circles,” he said.
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