Mystery as wealthy British entrepreneur vanishes after leaving Budapest nightclub during trip to meet investors

By TARYN KAUR PEDLER, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 15:12, 18 June 2026 | Updated: 15:15, 18 June 2026 A wealthy British entrepreneur who travelled to Hungary to meet investors has gone missing after leaving a nightclub in Budapest. John Robert Joseph Tovell, 45, was last seen at around 2am on June 16 after leaving the venue in the city's VII District, also known as Erzsebetvaros, one of Budapest's busiest entertainment areas. Police said the British national left the venue for an unknown destination and has not been seen since. Officers from Budapest's Metropolitan Police launched a missing persons investigation and said they were continuing to search for him. Reports in Hungary said John had arrived in Budapest five days before he vanished. Local media also stated that his mobile phone had been switched off since his disappearance and that there had been no activity on his bank cards. John is the founder of Cardinal Rock, a London-based property investment company that helps clients build and expand property portfolios across the UK. The entrepreneur is described in local reports as a frequent traveller who regularly visits destinations around the world and attends concerts. John Robert Joseph Tovell, 45, was last seen at around 2am on June 16 after leaving the venue in the city's VII District, also known as Erzsebetvaros Officers from Budapest's Metropolitan Police launched a missing persons investigation and said they were continuing to search for him (Pictured: Stock image of Budapest) Investigators were expected to examine CCTV footage from the VII and VIII districts of Budapest as they attempted to trace his movements after he left the nightclub. Before his disappearance, Cardinal Rock published updates stating that John had travelled to Hungary on business and was due to meet international investors, partners and property professionals in Budapest interested in UK property investment opportunities. Police have not disclosed any suspected circumstances surrounding the disappearance. John is described as being around 190cm tall with short, greying hair and a beard. At the time of his disappearance, he was wearing black trousers, a black T-shirt and a dark green long-sleeved shirt. Hungarian police released a photograph of the missing businessman and appealed to the public for information about his whereabouts. The official missing persons case is being handled specifically by the VIII District Police Department. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.