Diplomatic tremor
Orbán’s cabinet chief on US sanctions list
It is a small diplomatic earthquake that shook Hungary on Thursday: Antal Rogán, head of cabinet and closest confidant of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, was placed on the sanctions list by the USA. The accusation: massive corruption.
According to official reports, Rogán is alleged to have created a system that distributes public funds to loyal supporters and thus consolidates their power. He is the "inventor, implementer and beneficiary of corruption in Hungary".
The decision is based on the Global Magnitsky Act, which allows the US to impose sanctions on corrupt individuals or human rights violators worldwide. In Rogán's case, this means the freezing of assets in the USA and a travel ban.
According to experts, the application against a high-ranking politician of a NATO member is unusual, but not without precedent. Turkish ministers were already on the sanctions list in 2018.
The sanctions are the result of a thorough investigation. This contradicts accusations from Budapest that the measure is based on personal revenge by the outgoing US government. Orbán has never made a secret of his close relationship with Trump. Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó described the sanctions as an "honorless farewell act" by the outgoing US administration. He expressed confidence that the new Trump administration would revise the decision.
However, Hungarian foreign policy expert István Szent-Iványi warns the newspaper "Magyar Hang" against premature hopes. "Getting off the list is extremely difficult". Removal would require solid evidence that the accusations are unfounded - a lengthy and politically sensitive process. The USA is sending a clear signal with the sanctions.
Corruption in Hungary has worsened
According to Transparency International, corruption in Hungary has worsened over the last ten years. The European Union has already withheld funds because principles of the rule of law have been violated. The US sanctions could therefore have far-reaching economic consequences, especially as European banks could also take similar measures.
Whether Donald Trump will actually intervene once he takes office remains uncertain. For Rogán, inclusion on the list certainly means a considerable restriction on his political and economic freedom of movement.
This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.
Kommentare
Liebe Leserin, lieber Leser,
die Kommentarfunktion steht Ihnen ab 6 Uhr wieder wie gewohnt zur Verfügung.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
das krone.at-Team
User-Beiträge geben nicht notwendigerweise die Meinung des Betreibers/der Redaktion bzw. von Krone Multimedia (KMM) wieder. In diesem Sinne distanziert sich die Redaktion/der Betreiber von den Inhalten in diesem Diskussionsforum. KMM behält sich insbesondere vor, gegen geltendes Recht verstoßende, den guten Sitten oder der Netiquette widersprechende bzw. dem Ansehen von KMM zuwiderlaufende Beiträge zu löschen, diesbezüglichen Schadenersatz gegenüber dem betreffenden User geltend zu machen, die Nutzer-Daten zu Zwecken der Rechtsverfolgung zu verwenden und strafrechtlich relevante Beiträge zur Anzeige zu bringen (siehe auch AGB). Hier können Sie das Community-Team via unserer Melde- und Abhilfestelle kontaktieren.