A Romanian national is facing charges of human trafficking and forced labour after allegedly assaulting, threatening and exploiting a vulnerable Hungarian man, including forcing him to work for little or no pay in Hungary and abroad.

Romanian man abused his victim in Hungary

As MTI stated, a Romanian man has been charged with aggravated human trafficking and forced labour for allegedly coercing a Hungarian man into working through violence and threats, the Pest County Prosecutor’s Office announced on Thursday. According to prosecutors, the defendant reached an agreement with the victim in 2022.

The Hungarian man, who lived in poverty in Nagykőrös, central Hungary, was promised work as a driver in exchange for accommodation, food and a small salary. However, from the spring of 2023, the defendant allegedly began assaulting and threatening the man, forcing him to carry out agricultural and construction work instead. In return, the victim reportedly received only minimal amounts of food and occasional payments of HUF 1,000.

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Victim allegedly taken abroad and deprived of documents

In 2025, the defendant allegedly took the man abroad for work, confiscated his documents and kept him in inhumane conditions. Authorities in the unnamed foreign country discovered the alleged abuse during an inspection and initiated proceedings against the defendant over suspected unlawful detention and forced labour. With the help of the foreign authorities, the victim was able to return to Hungary in September 2025.

The ordeal allegedly continued the following month, when the defendant appeared at the victim’s home in Nagykőrös. Prosecutors say he assaulted the man and forced him to work for him again, this time without paying him at all. The police eventually located the victim following a missing-person report and subsequently arrested the defendant, who was taken into custody.

Prosecutors seek prison sentence and deportation

The Pest County Prosecutor’s Office is seeking an enforceable prison sentence, a fine and the defendant’s expulsion from Hungary. The charges concern aggravated human trafficking and forced labour. The case will be heard by the Budapest Environs Regional Court, which will determine the Romanian man’s guilt. The allegations have not yet been proven in court, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless found guilty.

Read also: 15-year-old boy beaten with branches in Hungary after refusing to give up his property