Hungarian authorities arrested multiple suspects in coordinated human smuggling raids on Monday morning, an operation that local media and political figures say resulted in the detention of Áron Orbán, the younger brother of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NNI) and the National Asset Recovery and Asset Protection Office (NVVH) conducted simultaneous house searches across Budapest and Pest County. While police confirmed the multi-agency operation in a public statement, they did not immediately release the identities of those detained.
News outlet Kontroll.hu reported that the former premier’s brother may have been among those arrested in connection with an NVVH probe into a visa facilitation network.
The reports prompted a public exchange between the former premier and current Prime Minister Péter Magyar.
Viktor Orbán indirectly confirmed his brother’s arrest in a Facebook post, condemning the police action as a politically motivated “settling of scores” designed to distract from an “agent scandal” facing the current government.
“In this dirty game, the goal is the elimination of the political opponent and the establishment of a one-party system,” the former prime minister stated, likening the authorities to Hungary’s historical state secret police. “I am the target, my younger brother is just a tool.”
Current Prime Minister Péter Magyar responded in a Facebook post, criticizing the former leader for deflecting blame and playing the victim.
“As you sow, so shall you reap,” Magyar wrote.
Source: OCCRP · 2026-11-09