Áron Orbán's group continued to defraud Vietnamese nationals even after authorities were onto them

As recently as last February, a company linked to Áron Orbán was still receiving money from Vietnamese nationals who had been promised help in obtaining visas and employment, Telex has uncovered.

The documents we obtained indicate that Viktor Orbán's younger brother and one of his partners continued the visa business on behalf of their jointly owned company, BNN Santosha even after their activities had become public knowledge in the fall of 2024, and the Central Investigative Prosecutor’s Office (KNYF) was clearly aware of the company’s affairs, since they had interviewed one of the aggrieved individuals that same summer.

We started investigating Áron Orbán’s associates of questionable background after an audio recording was leaked in October 2024, in which the former prime minister’s brother is heard speaking with Dávid Héjj, one of Viktor Orbán’s aides, at the Prime Minister’s Office. The audio recording indicated that Áron Orbán and his associates were involved in arranging visas for guest workers, but that some of their visa applications were being blocked by the authorities.

It was at this time that Telex found out that Áron Orbán and his associates were arranging visas for Vietnamese citizens in exchange for substantial financial compensation. It was also revealed at the time that a company linked to Áron Orbán named Multi Shoot had launched a “mini-training program” at the University of Pécs for “students” arriving from Vietnam, many of whom either remained in the EU after the program concluded or skipped the program altogether and traveled directly westward within the Schengen Area.

According to new documents Telex recently came into possession of, Áron Orbán and his associates did not stop their visa business even after the audio recording was made public, despite the fact that by then they must have known that they would not be able to secure visas—and thus jobs—for anyone.

By last year, however, this was no longer handled through Áron Orbán’s company (Multi Shoot,) but through a company called BNN Santosha, in which Multi Shoot acquired a stake on October 18, 2024. Until then, BNN Santosha only had one owner, Noémi M, who has very close ties to Áron Orbán’s business partner, G. B. The latter is one of the key figures in the case involving Áron Orbán. G. B. was first taken into custody this year shortly after the April election, was subsequently arrested, but later still ended up being released from custody. On November 9, however, he was taken into custody again, along with Áron Orbán and two others involved in the case: M. J. and Áron Orbán’s partner, F. I.

As mentioned above, Áron Orbán and G. B. became business partners at BNN Santosha in the fall of 2024, because G. B. was actually the person behind Noémi M. At the time, G. B. admitted to Telex that, through BNN Santosha, he and Áron Orbán were planning to operate in the labour recruitment market in the future. However, at the time, G. B. claimed that they would focus on Germany rather than Hungary. The reason for choosing Germany-G. B. argued at the time-was that, in his view, Áron Orbán being the prime minister’s brother would not put them at a disadvantage there.

Except that Telex recently managed to get in touch with some Vietnamese nationals who claim that they paid a great deal of money to the company in the hope that BNN Santosha would provide them with jobs and arrange the necessary visas. We also managed to speak with a Vietnamese national who had direct insight into Áron Orbán’s business dealings. He said that the defrauded foreigners did not dare turn to the authorities.

Our publication has obtained several documents drawn up between BNN Santosha and the Vietnamese nationals. According to these, the Vietnamese nationals were to work as porters and baggage handlers, for which they were promised a gross monthly salary of 348,000 forints. Hundreds of such documents were likely drawn up, with each applicant required to pay 1,000 euros. This means that they may have generated hundreds of thousands of euros in revenue this way as late as 2025, although it is not known what portion of that revenue ultimately went to the different membes of the group.

We understand that this business was coordinated by G. B., he was the one who made the offer to the Vietnamese through the recruiters. Although the scandal had already broken by then, BNN Santosha was still considered a reputable “brand” because, on paper, it was owned by Viktor Orbán’s brother, which convinced the recruiters that they would indeed be able to arrange visas. However, when G. B. failed to fulfill his promise and the Vietnamese nationals wanted their money back, he kept making promises. One of the affected individuals told Telex that G. B. had told those feeling anxious that Áron Orbán was working on securing their visas.

What makes this particularly noteworthy is that by the summer of 2024, the Central Investigative Prosecutor’s Office was already aware of G. B. 's affairs, and an investigation was underway following a complaint filed by a disgruntled party. Furthermore, G. B. 's former secretary had also provided a testimony at the Central Investigative Prosecutor’s Office, even incriminating themselves. Nevertheless, the investigation remained at a standstill and only gained momentum after the April election. It was only then that G. B. and another associate, M. J., were taken into custody—but not Áron Orbán. Moreover, M. J. ended up being released from custody shortly thereafter.

According to our information, for a long time M. J. held out hope that he could reach some sort of settlement with the prosecutors. We understand that when he was questioned by the KNYF as a suspect, he made no incriminating statements against Áron Orbán. At that time, it very much appeared that G. B. would take the fall for the entire affair. However, when the case was transferred from the KNYF to the Office for Asset Recovery and Protection (NVVH), there was another twist: G. B. was released from custody, only for the entire group to be arrested shortly thereafter, including Áron Orbán and his partner. It is quite possible that G. B.’s release was merely a tactical move, intended to allow investigators to gather further evidence while he was at large.

According to the investigation, for several months during 2024, the four suspects assisted Vietnamese citizens in reaching Western Europe via Hungary. They are suspected of facilitating the visa application process at Hungarian diplomatic missions, for which they charged each applicant a so-called “recruitment fee” and then split the proceeds. Based on information available to the authorities so far, they may have assisted more than a hundred Vietnamese citizens.

It is not yet known exactly what Áron Orbán is suspected of, but his attorney, in a response given to Index, spoke of “allegations” against her client. Éva Edit Schalkház stated,

“The allegations against Áron Orbán have nothing to do with the former prime minister; he is not even mentioned in them.”

On Monday, Viktor Orbán commented in a social media post: What’s happening in Hungary isn’t accountability-it’s reckoning. Whenever things get uncomfortable for the government, the ÁVH steps in. In this dirty game, the goal is to eliminate political opponents and establish a one-party system. I’m the target here; my brother is merely a means to an end.” On Monday evening, Fidesz added Áron Orbán to its list of “political prisoners.”

(The ÁVH (Államvédelmi Hatóság, or State Protection Authority) was the notoriously brutal secret police force of Hungary between 1948-1956. Fidesz politicians have been comparing the new anti-corruption agency to it.)