Story perspectives

Hungary files criminal complaint over 17,000 ventilator fraud

8/25/2026

Summary

Story summary

Hungary’s foreign ministry, led by Anita Orbán, filed a criminal complaint over ventilator fraud.
The complaint concerns 17,000 Chinese ventilators bought in March-April 2020 for $965 million.
Only about 2,500 units reached hospitals while the rest sit in warehouses, many defective.
Average price was 17 million forints per unit versus $1,000-$5,000, creating a 13.4 billion-forint excess.
Investigators restored 130,000 files after attempts to delete thousands of documents.

1 of 1

Story summary

Hungary’s foreign ministry, led by Anita Orbán, filed a criminal complaint over ventilator fraud.
The complaint concerns 17,000 Chinese ventilators bought in March-April 2020 for $965 million.
Only about 2,500 units reached hospitals while the rest sit in warehouses, many defective.
Average price was 17 million forints per unit versus $1,000-$5,000, creating a 13.4 billion-forint excess.
Investigators restored 130,000 files after attempts to delete thousands of documents.