Antal Rogán
Hungarian economist and politician
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Antal Rogán (born 29 January 1972)[1] is a Hungarian economist and politician, who serves as Minister of the Prime Minister's Cabinet Office. He served as Mayor of Belváros-Lipótváros (fifth district of Budapest) from 2006 to 2014.[2][needs update] On Tuesday January 7, 2025, he was hit with US sanctions for his alleged involvement in corruption in Hungary.[3] On Wednesday, 16 April 2025, the sanctions against him were removed by the US government.[4]
Antal Rogán | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Rogán in 2009 | |
| Minister of the Prime Minister's Cabinet Office | |
| Assumed office 17 October 2015 | |
| Prime Minister | Viktor Orbán |
| Preceded by | position established |
| Leader of the Fidesz parliamentary group | |
| In office 2 June 2012 – 30 September 2015 | |
| Preceded by | János Lázár |
| Succeeded by | Lajos Kósa |
| Mayor of Belváros-Lipótváros District V, Budapest | |
| In office 1 October 2006 – 12 October 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Pál Steiner |
| Succeeded by | Péter Szentgyörgyvölgyi |
| Member of the National Assembly | |
| Assumed office 18 June 1998 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 January 1972 |
| Party | Fidesz (since 1996) |
| Spouse(s) | Alexandra Sonnevend (1st) Cecília Gaál-Rogán (2nd) Barbara Obrusánszki (3rd) |
| Children |
|
| Profession | economist, politician |
The opposition refers to him only as a "minister of propaganda", alluding to the media empire he controls—expanded in 2022 with intelligence services—which resembles Goebbels's propaganda machine.
Political career
He became a member of the National Assembly (MP) in the 1998 parliamentary election.[2] He had been leader of the Fidesz parliamentary group since 2 June 2012. Rogán was appointed Minister of the newly-formed Prime Minister's Cabinet Office on 17 October 2015. In January 2025 the Biden administration sanctioned him for corruption under the Magnitsky Act.[5] The press release of the United States Department of the Treasury claims Rogán has built a network of corruption in Hungary aimed at controlling strategic sectors and channeling their revenues to himself and his political allies.[6][7] In April 2025 the Trump administration lifted the sanctions, stating they were "inconsistent with US foreign policy interests."[8]
Personal life
Rogán's family is of Slovene descent from the Raba March in Vas County.[citation needed]
He married his first wife, Alexandra Sonnevend, in 1999.[9][10] He married his second wife, Cecília Gaál-Rogán, 2007; they announced their divorce in 2019.[11] He married his third wife, Barbara Obrusánszki, in 2021.[12][13]
He has one son from his first marriage, and two sons from his second.[14]
Inventions
Antal Rogán, a trained economist,[15] is also an inventor in the information technology sector. As of 2024, his most successful intellectual property has generated a cumulative gross income of over 1,300,000,000 HUF (approximately US$3,660,000) for him.[16] The invention concerns electronic signatures, and it is used by several large private companies, who are important partners of the state. However, the novelty of the invention is highly questionable.[17] It is notable that the first version of the technology covered by Rogán's invention received HUF 8 million (US$29,000) of EU funds via the Hungarian state-administered Széchenyi Program.[18]
