BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) 鈥� A senior Hungarian government official close to Prime Minister was hit Tuesday with U.S. sanctions for his alleged involvement in corruption in Hungary, a rare step against a sitting official in an allied country.
The Department of the Treasury鈥檚 Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Antal Rog谩n for corruption while in office. A key figure in Orb谩n鈥檚 government, Rog谩n is accused of using his position to broker favorable business deals with government-aligned businesspeople, a key part of penalties against Hungary that have withheld billions in funding over official corruption concerns.
Speaking at a news conference in Budapest on Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman said Rog谩n was 鈥渁 primary architect, implementer and beneficiary鈥� of systemic corruption in Hungary which he described as a 鈥渒leptocratic ecosystem.鈥�
鈥淔or too long, senior government officials in Hungary have used positions of power to enrich themselves and their families, moving significant funds from the public purse into private pockets,鈥� Pressman said, adding that there were 鈥渕any others involved鈥� in such corruption within Hungary's government.
The head of Orb谩n's cabinet office, Rog谩n oversees the engineering of wide-reaching government communication campaigns that are credited with being instrumental in maintaining Orb谩n鈥檚 power since 2010. Known among critics in Hungary as the 鈥減ropaganda minister,鈥� Rog谩n rarely appears in public or gives interviews, but is a veteran advisor to Orb谩n and also oversees Hungary鈥檚 secret services.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement Tuesday that Rogan鈥檚 activity 鈥渋s emblematic of the broader climate of impunity in Hungary where key elements of the state have been captured by oligarchs and undemocratic actors.鈥�
The authority used to designate Rog谩n is a Trump-era executive order that implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which targets human rights abusers and corruption around the world.
The sanctions brought by the outgoing Biden administration reflect U.S. efforts in the last four years to address concerns in Washington that Orb谩n has led Hungary, a member of the EU and a NATO member, to abandon democratic principles while pursuing closer ties with Russia and China.
Orb谩n, who backs , has expressed certainty that U.S.-Hungarian relations would improve once the president-elect takes office. Orb谩n made three visits to Trump鈥檚 Mar-a-Lago residence in 2024, while Trump has spoken positively about him.
Ambassador Pressman, whose tenure in Hungary will end this month, has been the subject of intense criticism by Orb谩n鈥檚 government, which accuses him of attempting to interfere in Hungary鈥檚 internal affairs.
Responding to the sanctions, Hungary's foreign minister, P茅ter Szijj谩rt贸, wrote on social media: 鈥淭his is personal revenge against Antal Rog谩n by the ambassador sent by the failed U.S. administration to Hungary, but who is now leaving ingloriously and without success."
"How nice that in a few days鈥� time the United States will be led by people who see our country as a friend and not an enemy,鈥� Szijj谩rt贸 wrote.
The Treasury Department in 2023 , which relocated its headquarters to Hungary鈥檚 capital from Moscow in 2019, arguing it served as a conduit for Russian espionage within the EU and NATO.
Hungary soon after in the bank.
___
Hussein reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed reporting.
Justin Spike And Fatima Hussein, The Associated Press
