Áron Orbán, the brother of former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, has been detained as part of an investigation into human trafficking, current Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced on Facebook earlier today. The investigation is being conducted by Hungary’s National Asset Recovery Office (NVVH) and the National Bureau of Investigation (KR NNI).
Viktor Orbán confirmed his brother’s detention on X.
“What is happening in Hungary is not accountability. It is a political witch hunt. Whenever the government finds itself in an embarrassing situation, it resorts to the tactics of the communist-era secret police. The aim of this dirty political game is to eliminate opponents and establish a one-party state. I am the real target. My younger brother is simply being used to get to me,” he wrote.
Hungarian news outlet Telex previously reported that a building linked to Áron Orbán’s company was searched on the morning of Nov. 9. Hungarian police said that searches and arrests had been carried out at several addresses in Budapest and Pest County as part of a human trafficking investigation. The KR NNI is part of the Hungarian police. Authorities did not publicly name those who had been detained.
According to Telex, an alleged associate of Áron Orbán’s was arrested after the April elections that saw Viktor Orbán and his party lose power, but was recently released. The outlet also found that investigators had questioned a Budapest-based Vietnamese interpreter who had accompanied the younger Orbán to a business meeting. Telex reported that those involved had ties to a business centered on selling visas.
