Washington has sanctioned a senior Hungarian official over alleged corruption. Budapest fired back, saying the designation was an act of “personal revenge” by the outgoing Joe Biden administration.
Antal Rogan, a member of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s cabinet, was placed under sanctions by the US Treasury Department on Tuesday. Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith said, “The United States will not hesitate to hold accountable individuals, like Rogan, who use the power of their office to illicitly enrich themselves and their cronies at the expense of their country and their fellow citizens.” The department went on to accuse the official of using government contracts to enrich his allies and gain control of key economic sectors.
However, Hungary insists the corruption charges are merely an excuse for the Biden administration to take “personal revenge” against the Orban government. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said Budapest would take up the issue with Washington after President-elect Donald Trump returns to office later this month.
Orban has proven to be a thorn in the side of the Biden administration, muddling the pro-Ukraine consensus within NATO and the European Union and at times protesting Western involvement in the war with Russia. Budapest also has opposed EU loans to Kiev and the sanctions regime on Moscow, and denounced Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to use long-range American missiles against targets on Russian soil.
Additionally, Orban used his position as the head of the EU in 2024 to attempt to broker a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, and previously traveled to Mar-a-Lago to meet with then-candidate Trump.
Orban’s close relationship with Trump may help him lobby on behalf of Rogan, whose office denounced the new sanctions.
“After January 20, the United States of America will have a new government and a new president. We will take the necessary legal steps after their inauguration,” it said in a statement to local media.
