Hungary detains Viktor Orbán's brother in people-smuggling probe
The former prime minister called the move political retaliation while his successor said three other ex-ministers are already in custody.
By Rosa Fuentes ·
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar confirmed on Monday that his predecessor's younger brother is in police custody.
Magyar made the announcement while speaking in Berlin. He identified the detained man as Aron Orbán, 49. The prime minister said the detention is part of a wider anti-corruption effort targeting the final years of Viktor Orbán's 16-year rule.
The National Asset Protection and Recovery Office, known as the NVVH, said it worked with police to detain four individuals. Officers also searched properties in Budapest and the surrounding Pest county. The group includes one woman and three men. Authorities suspect them of forming a criminal conspiracy to smuggle people for financial gain.
According to a statement released by investigators, the case involves suspected assistance provided to Vietnamese citizens. These individuals sought to reach western Europe during several months in 2024. The probe alleges that visa applicants paid recruitment fees at Hungarian foreign missions in Vietnam. Investigators claim the people involved in the scheme divided the collected money among themselves.
Viktor Orbán responded to the news on Facebook. He described the detention as an act of political retaliation. The former leader accused his opponents of trying to remove political competition and create a one-party system. “I am the target, my younger brother is just a tool,” he wrote.
Magyar defeated Orbán in the April election. His government then created the NVVH to examine corruption allegations from the previous administration. Magyar has labeled the initiative Operation Purgatory. The office previously stated that one of its first four investigations would look into the alleged sale of political connections for residence permits. Orbán has denied the corruption claims.
The new detention adds to a series of arrests linked to the former government. Two former ministers and former central bank governor György Matolcsy are already in custody for graft allegations. Magyar noted during his Berlin speech that three former ministers from Orbán's cabinet were already in jail before his brother was taken into custody.
