Áron Orbán detained in Budapest on suspicion of human trafficking
Hungarian police have detained Áron Orbán, brother of the former prime minister, on suspicion of smuggling Vietnamese citizens to Western Europe.
Brother of former Hungarian prime minister suspected of human trafficking
Hungarian police detained Áron Orbán, brother of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, on Monday, Hungarian media reported according to politikis.si. Current Prime Minister Peter Magyar confirmed the news on Facebook.
In a sweeping police operation in Budapest and its surroundings, investigators arrested a total of four suspects. According to reports from media outlets Telex, HVG and 24.hu, these individuals are said to have helped more than one hundred Vietnamese citizens obtain Schengen visas for payment in 2024 and organised their further travel to Western Europe.
Under Hungarian law, police detention can last a maximum of 72 hours, after which the suspect must be released or a court must order detention on a proposal from the prosecution.
The Hungarian criminal code provides a sentence of two to eight years' imprisonment for human trafficking for profit, and five to ten years for organised human trafficking or activity within a criminal organisation. Organisers or leaders of such activity face ten to twenty years' imprisonment. What specific sentence would be imposed on Áron Orbán would depend on any formal charges and evidence gathered.
Viktor Orbán has already described the investigation as political retaliation and claimed that he himself is the real target of the investigators, with his brother merely serving as a means to achieve that goal.
Source: Google News SI — Crime (sl)