Former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said he was completely convinced of the innocence of his younger brother Áron, who was detained on November 9 on suspicion of migrant smuggling and influence peddling.
„He is a decent, kind-hearted man. I cannot even imagine for a second that he would do such a thing. I am one hundred percent certain that he is innocent“, Orbán said in an interview with the Ultrahang Plusz YouTube channel.
Court orders one-month detention
The Budapest Central District Court ordered one month of pre-trial detention for Áron Orbán and his partner. One of the other suspects was placed under judicial supervision, while another was not detained. The decision is not final.
According to the prosecution, the four helped more than 100 Vietnamese citizens travel through Hungary to Western Europe. The investigation alleges that they assisted in obtaining visas at Hungarian diplomatic missions, with short-term training listed as the reason for entering the country in some of the documents.
According to the indictment, most of the applicants did not take part in such training. A so-called recruitment fee was collected for each person, and the funds received were distributed among the participants in the scheme.
The case is being handled by the National Bureau of Investigation and the National Recovery and Asset Protection Office. The Budapest Chief Prosecutor’s Office requested the detention of all four suspects, citing the severity of the alleged crime, the possibility of sentences ranging from five to ten years, their foreign contacts and the risk of influencing witnesses.
Orbán speaks of a political vendetta
In the interview, Viktor Orbán said that the actions of law enforcement authorities were part of a political strategy by the new government. According to him, the detention of his brother and the investigations against former government members do not constitute lawful prosecution, but rather a „vendetta“ against political opponents.
„Look at the circumstances – the way my colleagues, former members of the government, were detained, and now my younger brother as well. All of this is a pre-planned, staged and theatrical political spectacle“, Orbán said.The former prime minister also said that he was not afraid of being persecuted himself. He also defended the ministers from his cabinets who have been charged with corruption and abuse of office.
„I can guarantee right now that a thorough investigation will not establish any violations of the rules or cases of corruption. All my ministers are impeccable“, Viktor Orbán said.
The investigation against Áron Orbán is continuing, and the court is yet to issue a final ruling on the measures of restraint.
Sources: apnews.com, index.hu, telex.hu