US sanctions Viktor Orban's chief of staff for corruption

Rogan's activities are emblematic of the wider climate of impunity in Hungary.
The United States has announced sanctions against Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief of staff for his alleged involvement in corruption schemes.
Antal Rogan, who heads Orban's cabinet and oversees the central European country's intelligence services and government communications, "orchestrated schemes designed to control several strategic sectors of Hungary's economy and divert revenues from those sectors to himself and reward loyalists in his political party," the U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement.
"The systemic corruption that Antal Rogan represents influences decision-making in Hungary on issues that affect the security of the United States and our allies," said U.S. Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman.
He noted that "private and public efforts to engage the Hungarian government on this issue have been unsuccessful," AFP reported.
Rogan's activities are "emblematic of the broader climate of impunity in Hungary, where key elements of the state are captured by oligarchs and undemocratic entities," US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
Relations between the US and Hungary have deteriorated in recent years. Washington often criticises Budapest for retreating from democratic principles.
But Orban hopes that the return of his "dear friend", US President-elect Donald Trump, will normalise relations between the NATO allies.
"This is the personal vendetta of the ambassador sent by the failed US administration to Hungary, who left unsuccessfully and in disgrace, against Antal Rogan. How nice it is that in a few days the US will be led by people who see our country as a friend and not an enemy," Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó wrote on Facebook.
Since Orban returned to power in 2010, Hungary has fallen from 50th to 76th place in Transparency International's corruption perception index. In 2023 it will rank last among EU members.
Over the same period, the leader's inner circle has become richer from public procurement. Orban's confidant Lorinz Messaros and his brother-in-law István Tiborč already control large parts of the economy.
The EU has frozen some EUR 19 billion of its funds earmarked for Hungary, among other problems related to alleged corruption in public procurement.
Budapest has lost access to around €1 billion of the suspended funds.
The central European country says Brussels is withholding the funds to put pressure on it for "illiberal" reforms and denies corruption allegations.
US sanctions against Rogan fall under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. It freezes the US-jurisdictional assets of blacklisted individuals and prohibits Americans and US companies from doing business with these individuals. | BGNES