Rogán serves as the Minister in Charge of the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office, overseeing both formal and informal government communications as well as civilian intelligence.
In the past he fulfilled other key positions, serving as the parliamentary group leader of Fidesz, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s ruling party, and he is also the former mayor of the capital’s Belváros-Lipótváros district.
“During his tenure as a government official, including as Minister in Charge of Orbán’s Cabinet Office, Rogán has reportedly orchestrated schemes designed to control strategic sectors of the Hungarian economy,” the U.S. Department of State said in a statement today.
“Minister Rogán has played a central role in enabling a system in Hungary that has benefitted himself and his party at the expense of the Hungarian people,” it noted.
“We continue to urge Hungary’s leaders to address corruption proactively, unequivocally, and decisively. A more transparent Hungary will contribute to a stronger transatlantic alliance and a more prosperous Europe,” the statement said.
Rogán has been designated under the Global Magnitsky Act, a U.S. law targeting individuals involved in human rights abuses and global corruption. His inclusion on the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s list freezes any U.S.-based assets he may have and prohibits Americans from conducting transactions with him.
According to news wire MTI, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Tuesday that the U.S. placing Rogán on a sanctions list was “personal revenge” by the outgoing U.S. ambassador who is leaving Hungary “without honor”.
Szijjártó said on Facebook that “it is good that the people who will lead the U.S. within a few days will view our country as a friend and not as an enemy”.
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