Hungarian businessman Aron Orban, the younger brother of former Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has been detained in connection with an alleged people-smuggling network, Prime Minister Peter Magyar confirmed on Monday during a speech in Berlin.
The detention is part of an investigation into a suspected operation that helped Vietnamese nationals travel to Western Europe by exploiting Hungary’s visa system. Authorities have arrested four people and searched several properties in Budapest and Pest county, although the police and the National Asset Protection and Recovery Office (NVVH) have not officially identified those taken into custody.
Speaking on the sidelines of his Berlin engagement, Magyar said three senior figures from Viktor Orban’s former government were already in custody and confirmed that the former prime minister’s brother had also been detained.
The businessman, Aron Orban, is 49.
Viktor Orban alleges political retaliation
Reacting to the development in a Facebook post, the former prime minister accused Magyar’s government of using the investigation to target political opponents.
“In this dirty game, the aim is the elimination of the political opponent and the establishment of a one-party system. I am the target, my younger brother is just a tool,” Viktor Orban wrote.
He has denied allegations of corruption during his 16 years in power.
The police and the NVVH have not disclosed the identities of the four people detained. In a statement on Monday, the anti-graft agency said it had worked alongside the police to carry out arrests and searches at multiple locations in Budapest and Pest county.
Alleged visa network involving Vietnamese nationals
According to the authorities, the four suspects are accused of helping Vietnamese citizens travel to Western Europe over several months in 2024.
Investigators suspect that visa applicants were charged recruitment fees at Hungarian diplomatic missions in Vietnam, with the money subsequently shared among those involved in the alleged operation.
Police described the suspects, comprising a woman and three men, as allegedly involved in “human smuggling committed as part of a criminal conspiracy for the purpose of financial gain”.
The investigation is examining how the network allegedly used recruitment and visa-related arrangements to facilitate the movement of foreign nationals.
In September, the NVVH had identified the alleged sale of political connections to secure employment-related residence permits as one of the first four cases it intended to investigate.
Magyar’s anti-corruption campaign targets former government officials
The NVVH was established by Magyar after his Tisza party defeated Viktor Orban in the April election, ending the latter’s 16-year tenure as prime minister. The agency has become a central part of the new government's effort to investigate alleged corruption and financial wrongdoing during the previous administration.
Magyar has described the broader anti-graft drive as “Operation Purgatory”.
The investigation involving Aron Orban is among several cases being pursued against figures associated with the former government. Two former ministers and former central bank governor Gyorgy Matolcsy are also in custody in separate investigations over corruption allegations.
The authorities have not established the guilt of those detained, and the investigations remain ongoing.
The latest arrests mark another significant development in Magyar’s campaign to hold officials and associates of the previous administration accountable for alleged abuses of power and corruption.