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Hungarian police took ex-leader Viktor Orban's brother into custody on Monday, according to a press report shared by Prime Minister Peter Magyar.
Magyar won a landslide election victory in April to end 16 years in power for Orban, promising to investigate alleged corruption and abuse of office during his rival's rule.
“According to press reports, Viktor Orban's brother, Aron Orban, has been taken into custody on suspicion of human trafficking,” Magyar wrote on Facebook.
The original report comes from Kontroll, a news site owned by Magyar's brother Marton Magyar.
Viktor Orban called the detention a “dirty game,” accusing the government of trying to eliminate its political opponents.
“I am the target; my brother is merely a tool,” he wrote on Facebook.
Like other members of the Orban family, Aron Orban built several successful business ventures during his brother's time in power.
Last year, investigative journalists linked one of his companies to an alleged visa facilitation scheme that offered preferential access to Hungarian work visas for foreigners.
Police said “several people have been taken into custody” in Budapest and in two towns in the surrounding Pest County in an operation carried out in connection with human trafficking.
“Searches are currently under way at the homes of those under investigation,” the statement said.
“We expect to provide further updates this afternoon regarding the details of the offences and the investigative measures carried out today,” it added.
According to Hungarian news outlet Telex, counterterrorism officers searched a property in Fotliget linked to a company associated with Aron Orban. Hungarian authorities have not publicly disclosed the specific allegations against individual suspects.
The joint operation was carried out by the National Bureau of Investigation (NNI) and the National Asset Recovery and Protection Agency (NVVH), an anti-graft body with sweeping powers established as part of Magyar's accountability drive.
Anna Unger, head of the NVVH, neither confirmed nor denied reports of the detention but acknowledged that her agency had conducted further operations in a case involving Aron Orban. The NVVH later confirmed to state news agency MTI that the arrests were connected to a human trafficking investigation.
In September, the NVVH took over four investigations, including one related to influence-peddling that could involve Aron Orban, according to local media.
That case centers on an illicit group that allegedly promised to bypass standard administrative procedures to grant visas to foreign nationals in exchange for money.
The case emerged in 2025 after an audio recording surfaced in which Aron Orban discussed visa applications with an official from the prime minister’s office. Authorities had reportedly blocked some visa applications linked to his associates.
Initially handled by the Central Investigative Prosecutor’s Office, the investigation was later transferred to the NVVH. One of Aron Orban’s associates was reportedly released from detention recently.
Several investigations have gained momentum since Orban lost power.
Three ex-ministers are in custody, including former central bank governor Gyorgy Matolcsy, whom Orban once called his "right-hand" man.
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