MOL boss corrupt: court

Hernádi, who was found guilty of bribing Sanader with 10 million euros to obtain a majority stake in Croatian oil firm INA, was sentenced to two years in prison in absentia in a non-binding ruling. Sanader was handed a six-year prison term.

MOL and Hernádi have steadfastly denied the charges, insisting that the company has never bribed any politician. Hernádi was earlier acquitted of the charge by the Hungarian judiciary.

The company said it is disappointed with the verdict, as previous verdicts by the Hungarian courts and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law had all acquitted MOL of any wrongdoing. “We are disappointed but not surprised,” MOL said. “This was not the first unfair trial to be conducted in Croatia.”

MOL noted that in 2015, Croatia’s constitutional court had annulled Sanader’s earlier conviction for accepting bribes relating to INA and ordered a new trial.

It also noted Budapest Municipal Court’s refusal to execute a European Arrest Warrant for Hernádi, citing a “risk that [Hernádi’s] right to a fair trial would be infringed and an impartial judgement of the case would not be ensured”. MOL rejected the charges and vowed to continue to defend itself against the “baseless accusations”.

MOL holds just under half of INA’s shares but has management rights in the company. The other big stakeholder is the state of Croatia. The sides have long been at odds over INA’s strategy.

Christian Democrat lawmaker Lőrinc Nacsa slammed the proceedings against Hernádi as a “witch hunt”. He said the matter was “Croatia’s own internal political dispute” and it is not Hungary’s place to get involved.