Hungary’s former ambassador to Peru got one-year suspended prison sentence for child pornography

Hungary’s former ambassador to Peru, Gábor Kaleta, pleaded guilty to charges of storing thousands of child pornography recordings on his laptop. A sentence has been delivered: the diplomat got a one-year suspended prison sentence.

As Hungarian news portal Blikk reports, due to the epidemic situation, the court sentenced him to a suspended prison sentence without trial. However, the prosecutor’s office considered the verdict too lenient and appealed for a more severe sentence.

The former ambassador was wearing a white mask and sunglasses during the trial; no photo could be taken of him. When the judge asked him to take off his sunglasses in the courtroom, he said they were ordinary dioptre glasses. 

During the trial, Gábor Kaleta admitted the contents of the indictment.

Kaleta’s lawyer revealed in his speech that the former diplomat has lost 30 kg and proposed imposing a financial penalty. “He lived like an exemplary lawyer, building his diplomatic career and serving his country as part of that. He is a deeply religious man who regularly practised his religious beliefs,” said the lawyer, adding that the ex-ambassador has huge remorse for his deed.

The accused revealed that his family has been intensely hit due to the case. His parents receive phone calls from an unknown number, and the company that employed him was also harassed.

After a short pause, the trial continued. The court sentenced the diplomat to a one-year suspended prison sentence and a fine of EUR 1,530 (~HUF 540,000). 

In his speech, the judge emphasised that the current law allows for the imposition of imprisonment for a term of three months to three years, similar to forgery of documents, escape of prisoners, or even rioting committed in a group. 

Since the prosecutor’s petition was for Kaleta to be granted 1 year suspended for three years in the case of a confession, the court could not have imposed a more severe penalty. There is a right of appeal against the verdict, and both the prosecution and the defence requested a 3-day reflection period.

Read also:

• Hungarian Ambassador to Peru involved in child pornography
• Former ambassador’s alleged involvement in paedophilia scandal ‘shocking, regrettable’, says Fidesz

Source: blikk.hu