US treasury accuses Antal Rog\u00e1n, a close aide of leader Viktor Orb\u00e1n, as key to \u2018system of corruption\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The United States has imposed sanctions on a senior member of the Hungarian government for alleged corruption, in a move which Budapest said it would challenge as soon as Donald Trump<\/a> takes office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The US treasury accused Antal Rog\u00e1n, a close aide of the prime minister, Viktor Orb\u00e1n<\/a>, of using his role to secure financial benefits for himself and his political allies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThose closely connected to the ruling political party have acquired massive empires of holdings,\u201d the US ambassador to Hungary<\/a>, David Pressman, told a news conference. \u201cAntal Rog\u00e1n is a primary architect, implementer and beneficiary of this system of corruption.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sanctions<\/a> were passed under the Global Magnitsky Act, which bans sanctioned individuals from entering the US, prohibits US companies from doing business with them, and freezes their assets under US jurisdiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rog\u00e1n, often referred to as Hungary\u2019s \u201cpropaganda minister\u201d, has been close to Orb\u00e1n for decades, overseeing his vast media machine and election campaigns, which largely contributed to the Hungarian leader\u2019s grip on power for four consecutive terms. He runs Orb\u00e1n\u2019s cabinet office and also oversees Hungary\u2019s intelligence services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the treasury\u2019s statement the minister \u201corchestrated schemes designed to control several strategic sectors of the Hungarian economy and to divert proceeds from those sectors to himself and to reward loyalists from his political party\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Orb\u00e1n is the European leader closest to Trump, and relations between Hungary and the US have become increasingly tense during the presidency of Joe Biden, partly because of Budapest\u2019s cordial relations with Moscow despite the war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to international watchdogs, corruption in Hungary has significantly worsened since Orb\u00e1n took office in 2010. In 2023, Transparency International ranked the country last among EU members on its corruption perception index.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just six days ago Hungary lost its entitlement to more than \u20ac1bn<\/a> ($1bn) in aid from the EU because it \u201cfailed to tackle corruption, violated rules on public procurement, and a lack of control and transparency\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCorruption undermines a country\u2019s governing institutions and limits its economic development, providing short-sighted gain to a select few while depriving future generations of longer-term benefit,\u201d said Bradley T Smith, acting under secretary of the treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The move has been in preparation for three years<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cToday\u2019s designation was not a decision the United States has taken lightly. It is not common for the United States to designate a sitting minister. Even less common to do so in an Allied country,\u201d said Pressman in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hungarian officials described the sanctions as the \u201clast, petty revenge\u201d by Pressman, who has frequently expressed criticism over the state of democracy in Hungary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is a personal act of revenge by the ambassador sent to Hungary by the failed American administration \u2026 How fortunate that in just a few days, the United States will be led by people who see our country as a friend rather than an enemy,\u201d Hungary\u2019s foreign minister, P\u00e9ter Szijjart\u00f3, wrote on Facebook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dorka Tak\u00e1csy, a researcher at the Centre for Euro-Atlantic Integration and Democracy, said the sanctions were \u201ca clear message to the Orb\u00e1n regime\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c[Rog\u00e1n] is the head of the robust propaganda machine that, to a large extent, keeps the Orb\u00e1n government in power, and has carried out harsh, continuous anti-western communication campaigns funded by taxpayers\u2019 money for over a decade now,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tak\u00e1csy said that removing Rog\u00e1n from the sanctions list would be a difficult process, even if there is political will from the incoming administration. \u201cA Hungarian minister whose activities actively undermine US strategic interests is most likely not going to be a top priority, despite the excellent personal relationship between Trump and Orb\u00e1n at the level of words,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Orb\u00e1n has been Trump\u2019s most loyal and vocal supporter in the EU since 2016 and publicly admitted having been involved in the president-elect\u2019s \u201cpolicy writing system\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The two populists\u2019 relationship has only strengthened in the past years, with Orb\u00e1n visiting Trump in Mar-a-Lago<\/a> multiple times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAfter Jan 20, the United States of America will have a new government and a new president. After their inauguration, we will take the necessary legal steps,\u201d Orb\u00e1n said in a statement on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n