Hungarian police have detained Áron Orbán, the brother of the country’s former prime minister Viktor Orbán. He is suspected of involvement in human trafficking.
This was reported by the Hungarian outlet Kontroll. Information about the detention on 9 November was also shared by Prime Minister Péter Magyar.
Viktor Orbán later confirmed his brother’s detention. He called the case a “dirty game” and said the authorities were trying to remove political opponents. According to him, the real target is himself, and his brother has merely become an instrument of pressure.
“Today the government must report to the National Security Committee on the ‘agent scandal’. This settling of scores is merely a way to distract attention. What is happening in Hungary is not accountability, but settling scores. Every time the government finds itself in an awkward position, the ÁVH (State Security Authority) is brought into play. The aim of this dirty game is to remove political opponents and establish a one-party system. The main target is me, and my younger brother is merely a tool,” Orbán wrote.
Police also reported a special operation in Budapest and the suburbs. During it, several suspects were detained and searches were carried out at their places of residence. Law enforcement did not disclose the names of those detained.
The investigation is being conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation and the Asset Recovery and Protection Agency, created by the new authorities to fight corruption.
According to Hungarian media, one episode of the investigation may concern illegal assistance in obtaining Hungarian visas for foreigners in exchange for money. Previously, journalists linked one of Áron Orbán’s companies to a programme for simplified processing of work visas.
As local media note, while Viktor Orbán was in power, his brother, like other family members, set up several profitable business projects.
- Hungary has published thousands of documents from the communist-era secret police. Before publication, rumours circulated that Viktor Orbán had been an informant, but his name did not appear in the digital database.
- Orbán himself said that the communist security services tried to recruit him during his military service, but he refused.