Péter Magyar: Áron Orbán, Viktor Orbán’s brother, was detained in a human trafficking case

Áron Orbán, the younger brother of former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, was detained on Monday, November 9, in a case concerning the trafficking of people and migrants. The information was announced by Prime Minister Péter Magyar, who stated that the investigation by the Hungarian authorities is ongoing.

The operation took place on Monday morning in Budapest and in two localities in Pest County. Investigators from the National Bureau for the Recovery and Protection of Assets and the National Bureau of Investigation conducted home searches as part of two criminal proceedings and detained several people.

The publication Kontroll.hu reported that Áron Orbán was among those detained, but the authorities had not officially confirmed the identities of all the suspects at that time. Péter Magyar said that the competent institutions were continuing their checks.

The former prime minister’s brother was already under investigation in a case concerning the facilitation of obtaining Schengen visas and work permits for foreign citizens. According to the Hungarian press, a company associated with him allegedly enrolled Vietnamese citizens in a two-day lifeguard course organized at the University of Pécs, in order to facilitate their access to the documents.

Áron Orbán’s name became public in 2024, following the broadcast of an audio recording about the problems encountered in obtaining visas and employment documents. The investigation also concerns suspicions that money was solicited and political connections were used to expedite the procedures.