The US imposes sanctions against close ally of Hungarian Prime Minister Orban

The US Treasury Department has imposed sanctions against Antal Rogan, a senior Hungarian government official and one of Prime Minister Viktor Orbanʼs closest associates.

This was reported by the US Treasury Department.

Rogan is the Hungarian Prime Minister’s chief of staff, overseeing the National Communications Directorate, the Digital Government Agency, and the Hungarian Tourism Agency. According to the U.S. government, Rogan created a corruption network to gain control over strategic sectors of the economy and funnel the proceeds to himself and his political allies.

The US Treasury Department says Rogan orchestrated a system of distributing government contracts and resources among his cronies, loyal to him and the Fidesz political party. He will now be banned from entering the US and all his assets will be frozen.

Antal Rogan became the first high-ranking Hungarian official against whom the US imposed sanctions.

Public sector corruption has worsened in Hungary over the past decade. According to Transparency Internationalʼs 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index, Hungary has the worst ranking in the European Union for two years in a row.

As a result, the European Union suspended several funding programs for Hungary, as violations of the basic principles of the rule of law were found in the country, especially in the field of public procurement, conflict of interest and the fight against corruption.

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