VIDEO: Corrupt border policemen caught by Hungarian Counter Terrorism Centre

The prosecutor’s office is investigating the crime of accepting bribes in violation of official duties. Two border policemen were questioned as suspects. The office has successfully moved for their arrest.

Investigation

Hvg.hu reported that the Investigating Prosecutor’s Office started an investigation in connection with corruption offences. Criminal operations were carried out at several locations, at the border crossing points of Ártánd and Nagykereki, on the 19th of September. Two border police officers were detained.

According to the well-founded suspicion, the two officers were on passport duty at the border crossing in Ártánd last October, when a lorry with German registration plates reported for exit at 11 PM. The driver handed over the documents to the border police officer who, after pulling the lorry over, said that he had found so many deficiencies in the vehicle’s documents that the driver would have to pay a fine of approximately EUR 4,000.

Then, the officer suggested that “it could be solved with just EUR 1,500”.

Forcing the driver to pay

The driver disputed any irregularities with the truck or crossing the border, so he refused to pay. He said that he only had EUR 500 anyway. As it seems, the border police officer would have been satisfied with that money, but the driver refused to hand it over initially. The border police officer repeatedly said that he and his colleague would only allow him to cross into Romania if he paid. Thus, they tried to force the driver into paying the bribe. The driver was kept waiting without action for a long time.

Corrupt border police officers

After almost two hours, the driver and his passenger handed over EUR 300 and HUF 70,000 (EUR 180) to the border police officer, even though there was no legal basis for detaining them and imposing a fine. After the official was not satisfied with the amount, they handed over RON 200 (EUR 40) too. The border policemen then allowed the car to cross the border but did not record the specified crossing data in the register.

The prosecution ordered the two perpetrators to be detained, questioned them as suspects and successfully moved for their arrest. The defendants and their defence lawyers appealed against the order of the Military Council of the Debrecen General Court.