PM Orbán’s strongman, Minister Rogán’s name illegally removed from US sanctions list? Top Dem Sens demand explanation

Top Democratic Senators Jeanne Shaheen (North Hampshire) and Elizabeth Warren (Massachusets) demand answers as to how Minister Rogán’s name could be removed from the US Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List without proper explanation. Until they receive answers, they regard the move as unlawful.

Rogán removed from the list slowly

We wrote earlier this week that Minister Antal Rogán, one of Orbán’s strongest ministers responsible for government communication and the intelligence services, has been removed from the US Treasury’s SDN list. He was added to the list during the last days of the Biden administration for “orchestrat[ing] schemes designed to control several strategic sectors of the Hungarian economy.” In THIS article, we wrote about his role in, for example, the so-called residency bond business. The Orbán cabinet said then that the addition was only Biden’s desperate revenge on the government.

After Trump’s victory, and knowing about his good relationship with PM Orbán, every political analyst said he should be quickly removed from the list if Trump and Orbán had such a strong relationship as government-close media showed. However, the mills of God ground slowly, and nothing happened for months. Finally, Rogán’s name was removed from the list this week. HERE we wrote what his addition meant.

Unsatisfactory explanation

According to the USA, the reason for the removal was that keeping Rogán on the list was no longer in the interests of Washington’s foreign policy. In an interview later this week, Orbán said the Americans did not require anything in return. He also praised Rogán and suggested he was irreplaceable in the government structure. He added that he has met with Rogán every day since he has a discussion with his two top ministers, Rogán and Gergely Gulyás, at 7.30 AM.