U.S. Lifts Sanctions on Hungarian PM Orban’s Key Aide Antal Rogan

Report By Safarti Tarjuman International Desk

The United States has officially lifted sanctions on Antal Rogan, a long-time aide to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, reversing a decision made by the previous U.S. administration, the State Department confirmed late Tuesday.

In a phone call with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Rogan’s removal from the U.S. Treasury’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List. According to a statement from State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, the continued sanctioning of Rogan was deemed “inconsistent with U.S. foreign policy interests.”

Rogan, who has headed Orban’s Cabinet Office since 2015, was sanctioned on January 7 by the Biden administration over allegations of widespread corruption and misuse of public funds. At the time, the U.S. Treasury accused him of facilitating a network for distributing public contracts and government resources to individuals aligned with Orban’s ruling Fidesz party.

Bruce said that Rubio and Szijjarto also discussed enhancing U.S.-Hungary cooperation on economic matters and increasing alignment on “critical international issues,” though specifics were not disclosed.