A Hungarian court has ordered pretrial detention for Aron Orbán, the younger brother of former prime minister Viktor Orbán, as well as for his partner, for their alleged involvement in an irregular visa-granting scheme.
The current prime minister Peter Magyar has confirmed the judicial ruling, while the digital newspaper Telex details that the precautionary measure will be extended, at least, for a month.
In addition, one of the suspects linked to the visa business will remain under criminal supervision, while a fourth suspect will continue the proceedings in a state of freedom.
Aron Orbán’s defense argues that there are no elements that justify pretrial detention. "It is absurd that there should be a risk of flight, of concealment, of influence, or even of destruction of evidence," he said, emphasizing that it was the former prime minister’s own brother who wrote to the authorities and offered to cooperate with the investigation.
The investigation into the alleged network of granting visas to Vietnamese citizens is being led by the National Office for Recovery and Property Protection and the National Investigation Office.