Court Orders Pre-Trial Detention for Billionaire Jellinek and Ex-State Asset Chief in Volánbusz Case

A Budapest court ordered one month of pre-trial detention on September 17 for billionaire businessman Dániel Jellinek (Hungary's seventh-richest person, CEO of Indotek Group, net worth roughly HUF 355 billion) and former state asset management chief Norbert Szivek, following their September 15 detention and searches by the Central Investigative Prosecutor's Office. The case centers on 2015–2018 purchases of more than 600 used buses at inflated prices through Volán companies, allegedly causing over HUF 10 billion (€24.7M) in damage; the suspected offenses carry a combined possible sentence of five to fifteen years. Jellinek is a business partner of Orbán son-in-law István Tiborcz and a company linked to his circles allegedly bought PM Magyar's Budapest flat at an inflated price, adding political sensitivity to a case unfolding under the new NVVH-era anti-corruption push. Indotek Group said Jellinek committed no crime and is cooperating fully with authorities.