WORLD : Guards Accused of Bilking Refugees

BUDAPEST, Hungary —  Nine Hungarian border guards have been accused of taking advantage of the East German immigrant exodus by charging refugees money to help them flee to the West, state news media said today.

The MTI news agency quoted the military prosecutor’s office in the western Hungarian town of Gyoer as saying the guards had, in exchange for “significant sums” of money, helped East Germans across the border sometime after Aug. 20.

Five of the guards have been arrested and the other four have been taken off border patrol duty, MTI said.

Also today, officials in West Germany said about 700 more East Germans had arrived in the past 24 hours from Hungary, bringing the total of refugees arriving since Hungary opened its western border Sept. 11 to nearly 17,000.