Áron Orbán arrest in Hungary on suspicion of human trafficking, Digi Mart USA News (Budapest, Hungary): The brother of former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Áron Orbán, has been arrested on suspicion of human trafficking. Current Prime Minister Magyar announced the arrest on Facebook, citing press releases.
The National Investigation Bureau (NNI) and the anti-corruption service NVVH are conducting the investigation. Arrests and house searches have taken place at several locations in the Hungarian capital, Budapest.
Former Prime Minister Orbán wrote on Facebook that the authorities are playing a “dirty game” and aim only to eliminate political opponents. “I am the target; my younger brother is merely an instrument,” he wrote.
Prime Minister Magyar responded that Orbán, “as usual,” is pointing fingers at others.
According to Euronews, Áron Orbán’s company may have made it easier for Vietnamese citizens to obtain a Hungarian visa, and therefore a Schengen visa, possibly in exchange for payment. The company reportedly did so by enrolling them in a two-day course at the University of Pécs in southern Hungary.
In April, Magyar won the Hungarian elections, ending Orbán’s sixteen-year rule. Magyar has said he intends to tackle corruption in Hungary and hold the circle around the former prime minister accountable.
In June, the director of Hungary’s anti-corruption watchdog was himself charged with corruption. In October, the former head of the Hungarian central bank was arrested on suspicion of financial fraud.
Under Magyar, the anti-corruption organization NVVH has received additional powers. This is one of the agreements the new prime minister made with the European Union to gain access to billions of euros in frozen assets for the country.
