(Bloomberg) -- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban indicated his government may defy a ruling of the European Court of Justice, while stopping short of explicitly saying he wouldn’t heed the verdict.

Orban’s government has objected to last year’s decision by the top EU court that his government can’t hold asylum seekers indefinitely in a transit area on the border with Serbia. The administration has sought a decision from Hungary’s constitutional tribunal to use as justification for ignoring the order. 

“The Hungarian state has a duty to prevent serious violations of individuals’ identity – even if such violations come from a ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union or from deficiencies in the EU’s use of power,” Orban wrote on his website.

Hungary’s Constitutional Court ruled earlier this month that the government may enforce the charter in areas of EU regulations, but only in limited cases. The verdict didn’t explicitly address the government’s petition concerning asylum policy. If Hungary fails to comply with EU court’s ruling, it risks being slapped with daily fines.

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.