Orbán's son listed as head of medical mission to Chad in non-public government resolution

Viktor Orbán’s son, Gáspár Orbán, had a more significant role in the planned mission to Chad than the previous Hungarian government had disclosed—this was confirmed by official documents obtained by 444.hu, some of which are non-public government decisions.

One of them is related to the trip to Niger, which preceded the Chad mission, and which confirms that Gáspár Orbán was the leader of the project. The document states that “Hungary Helps and the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences proceeded in accordance with the tasks assigned by the Coordination Office (headed by Gáspár O.).” Hungary Helps Agency is a state-funded organization under the supervision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responsible for implementing the Hungarian government’s humanitarian and development programs, foremost of which are the objectives of the Hungary Helps Program.

Due to political changes in Niger, the mission's destination was later changed, bringing Chad into the picture, according to 444. Documents obtained by the publication reveal that Gáspár Orbán was a member of the Africa Working Group (MUCS) associated with the Chad mission, but his role was far more significant than that of a simple member: according to the publication, numerous documents confirm that nothing could happen in the project without his approval.

A medical mission went to Chad between September 21 and October 5, 2023; in a related, non-public government resolution from 2023, Gáspár Orbán was identified as the person responsible for leading the entire medical mission—he was given authority over both the military leadership and the coordinator of the medical mission. According to the document, only the Hungarian consul was on the same level as him, although there was no one assigned to report to him.

In April, after the parliamentary elections—then Chief of Staff Gábor Böröndi confirmed that Gáspár Orbán had also participated in the Chad mission, although he claimed that it was, in his view, a “gross exaggeration” to say that Orbán’s son had led the group. “We had a dedicated planning team in place, which was led by my deputy, Lieutenant General Ferenc Kajári,” he said.

Previously, Gergely Gulyás, who was Orbán’s Chief of Staff insisted that Gáspár Orbán played no role in the preparations for the Chad mission. Nevertheless, Böröndi’s response is not surprising, given that former Defense Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky stated both in an interview and during his 2024 parliamentary hearing that Gáspár Orbán was participating in the preparations for the mission as a member of the ministerial cabinet.

Direkt36 was the first to report on the role of the former Hungarian prime minister’s son in the Chad mission in early 2024. At that time, they also published photos and videos showing that Gáspár Orbán had personally participated in the Hungarian delegation’s negotiations in Chad.

In an interview with Telex, Army Captain Szilveszter Pálinkás later said that after graduating from the Royal Military Academy in the United Kingdom, Viktor Orbán's son was assigned an office as first lieutenant at Orbán's office complex—and began planning the African mission.