- Title: Croatian court finds head of Hungary's MOL, Croatia's ex-PM guilty of bribery
- Date: 30th December 2019
- Summary: SISAK, CROATIA (FILE - OCTOBER 16, 2013) (REUTERS) TRAIN CARS WITH LOGOS OF MOL AND INA PARKED AT SISAK OIL REFINERY TRAIN CARS PARKED AT OIL REFINERY SZAZHALOMBATTA, HUNGARY (FILE - OCTOBER 14, 2013) (REUTERS) MOL'S LARGEST OIL REFINERY 'DUFI' SIGN OF OIL REFINERY PLANT, WITH MOL LOGO FLARES ON OIL REFINERY STACK
- Embargoed: 13th January 2020 14:30
- Keywords: Croatia Croatian court ruling Energy Group MOL Energy firm INA Hungary Ivo Sanader MOL CEO Zsolt Hernadi Zagreb bribery corruption former Croatian prime minister
- Location: ZAGREB AND SISAK, CROATIA / SZAZHALOMBATTA, HUNGARY
- City: ZAGREB AND SISAK, CROATIA / SZAZHALOMBATTA, HUNGARY
- Country: Croatia
- Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Judicial Process/Court Cases/Court Decisions
- Reuters ID: LVA003BC63XVD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A Croatian court ruled on Monday (December 30) that the head of Hungarian energy group MOL and Croatia's former prime minister were guilty in a corruption case, opening a new chapter in a legal saga that has dragged on for almost a decade.
MOL's Chief Executive and Chairman, Zsolt Hernadi, was found guilty of bribing former Croatian Prime Minister, Ivo Sanader, in 2008 to allow MOL to become the key decision-maker in Croatian energy firm INA.
MOL is INA's biggest shareholder, owning close to 50% while the Croatian state owns 45%.
Hernadi and Sanader were handed prison sentences of two and six years respectively. The ruling is not final and can be appealed.
The defence lawyers of both men said they were disappointed with the court's verdict and conduct of the trial.
Hernadi and Sanader, who was prime minister from 2003 until 2009, have denied any wrongdoing in the case that was originally launched by Croatia'a anti-corruption agency.
Sanader was initially sentenced to 8-1/2 years in prison in 2014 for taking a bribe from MOL, but Croatia's Constitutional Court in 2015 ordered a retrial, citing procedural errors. Hungary has refused to heed an international Interpol arrest warrant for Hernadi.
(Production: Antonio Bronic, Suzana Sabljic, Dominik Starosz) - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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