Hungarian 'godfather' arrested in Dubai – R. László extradited to serve sentence
R. László, regarded as one of the defining figures of the Hungarian underworld, was arrested in Dubai and brought to Hungary on 6 June.
Fugitive R. László arrested in Dubai, extradited to serve sentence
The 70-year-old R. László, referred to in the media as the Hungarian underworld's 'godfather', was arrested in the United Arab Emirates on 11 May and transported to Hungary in shackles on 6 June, according to the Index citing the police website.
According to information from the Pest County Police Headquarters, the man had fled abroad after the Metropolitan Court issued a final judgment sentencing him to three years imprisonment for the crime of trading in influence, but he did not begin serving his sentence.
The arrest was made possible through coordinated work by several Hungarian police forces: staff from the Pest County Police Headquarters (PVMRFK), the International Criminal Cooperation Centre of the Criminal Directorate of the National Police Headquarters (NEBEK), and the National Investigation Office of the Ready Police (KR NNI) carried out the data collection and analysis. Investigators identified the man's location in the emirates, where bounty hunters from the KR NNI, with the assistance of local authorities, carried out the arrest.
R. László was subsequently transported by NEBEK staff from Dubai through Vienna to the Hungarian capital to begin serving his imposed sentence.
Police recalled that R. László had been involved in several high-profile criminal proceedings over the past decades. His name was linked to oil deals in the 1990s, he was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment in the Kecskemét mafia trial, and proceedings were also initiated against him in an economic crime case known as the 'perfume affair'. Following a European and international arrest warrant issued at the beginning of 2025, an investigation was launched which ultimately led to the arrest in Dubai.
Source: Index