US sanctions Hungarian Prime Minister's ally Antal Rogan for corruption

The US Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on Antal Rogan, a senior Hungarian government official and one of Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's closest associates.

Source: a statement by the US Treasury Department, as cited by European Pravda

Details: Antal Rogan was included on the US sanctions list under the Magnitsky Act, which allows for the prosecution of people accused of serious human rights crimes and corruption around the world.

According to the US Treasury Department, Rogan is the Hungarian Prime Minister's Chief of Staff, overseeing numerous government agencies such as the National Communications Office, the Digital Government Agency, and the Hungarian Tourism Agency.

Quote: "Throughout his tenure as a government official, Rogan has orchestrated Hungary’s system for distributing public contracts and resources to cronies loyal to himself and the Fidesz political party," the report says.

In this way, Orbán's ally gained de facto control of key strategic areas of the Hungarian economy, with revenues going to his political allies, according to the US Treasury.

Furthermore, according to European Pravda, Rogan is the leader of the Hungarian government's media empire, which spans the entire country and promotes pro-government policies.

Under the sanctions, Antal Rogan's assets in the United States, as well as companies in which he holds more than 50% of the shares, would be frozen.

It is worth noting that Antal Rogan became the first high-ranking Hungarian official to be sanctioned by the United States.

In 2023, the media reported that the US side was planning to impose restrictions on Hungarian officials, but then it ended up with sanctions against the International Investment Bank, a financial institution in Budapest with Russian ownership.

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