'The target is me': Former Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán's brother held in human trafficking case

Hungary's Prime Minister Peter Magyar citing media reports, said that former PM Viktor Orbán's younger brother Áron Orbán had been detained on a notice of suspicion of human trafficking. Hungarian police said on Nov 9 that investigators from the National Investigation Bureau (NNI) and the National Protection Service (NVVH) were conducting joint investigative operations in connection with two criminal proceedings. According to police, several people were arrested and searches were being carried out in Budapest and two settlements in Pest County. The former prime minister called it a “diversionary maneuver” by the new government.

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Why was Áron Orbán detained?

Áron Orbán is being investigated in connection with a suspected human trafficking and visa-fraud network involving foreign nationals seeking to work in Hungary. The case centres on allegations that a group with links to influential political figures offered to facilitate visas and residence permits in exchange for money. According to an investigation by Hungarian news outlet Telex, companies linked to Áron Orbán allegedly helped Vietnamese nationals obtain Hungarian visas by enrolling them in short training programmes, including a two-day life-saving course at the University of Pécs. The arrangements reportedly helped applicants navigate visa requirements and potentially gain access to the Schengen area.

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Investigators suspect that a group with connections to senior political figures promised to secure the necessary visas and work-related residence permits for foreign nationals in return for financial compensation. The National Asset Recovery and Protection Office (NVVH) said in September that it had taken over the case, in which the suspected offence included influence-peddling. The investigation also involves other associates of Áron Orbán. Telex reported that a Vietnamese interpreter based in Budapest, who was familiar with visa procedures, testified to investigators. He was reportedly in contact with people linked to the case, including two associates identified as G.B. and János M., and had met Áron Orbán twice.

How did Viktor Orbán react to his brother's reported detention?

Former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán accused the new government of using his younger brother Áron's reported detention as a political diversion. In a Facebook post on Monday (November 9), Orbán alleged that the authorities were targeting him and using his brother as a pawn to settle political scores.

He linked the timing of the police operation to the government's scheduled response to the National Security Committee over an espionage scandal. He claimed that the investigation was an attempt to divert public attention from the controversy. "The target is me; my brother is only a pawn," Orbán wrote. He also accused the new administration of attempting to eliminate political opponents and establish a one-party system, arguing that the developments amounted to political retribution rather than accountability.