The US has placed Viktor Orbán’s chief of staff under sanctions for alleged corruption, the highest-ranking Hungarian official to be blacklisted since the fall of Communism.

The United States imposed sanctions on a senior member of the Hungarian government for alleged corruption, the U.S. Treasury said on Tuesday, a move Budapest said it would challenge when President-elect Donald Trump takes power.

The U.S. administration announced on Tuesday that it would sanction Antal Rogan, the head of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's cabinet, for corruption. According to the State Department, the case of the prime minister's close associate is an example of state capture by oligarchs and undemocratic actors.

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on Jan. 7 against Antal Rogan, a senior Hungarian government official and close associate of Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

The US administration announced on Tuesday that it would sanction Antal Rogan, the head of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's office, for corruption. According to the State Department, the case of the prime minister's close associate exemplifies "state capture by oligarchs and undemocratic actors.

The US placed sanctions on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s influential cabinet chief for his alleged role in corruption, just days before Orban’s ally Donald Trump takes over in the White House.

Rogán, a top figure in Viktor Orbán's government, is accused of being behind schemes manipulating Hungary's economy.View on euronews

The US Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on Antal Rogan, a senior Hungarian government official and one of Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's closest associates. Source: a statement by the US Treasury Department,