Travel agency scandal defendant sentenced after 5 years of trials

A local court on Friday sentenced Mária Dobrai, the former head of failed travel agency Kun-Mediátor, which illegally operated as an investment bank on the side, in absentia to ten years in prison for embezzlement and fraud.

In its non-binding ruling, the Szolnok court also fined Dobrai — identified only as Mrs. Sándor D. for legal reasons — over 5.4 million forints (€ 14,940) and banned her from holding business leadership positions. She will be eligible for release after serving two-thirds of her sentence.

The court said Kun-Mediátor had defrauded its clients of around 10 billion forints (€ 27.8 million) by promising them large interest on their deposits.

It also ordered the confiscation of assets from the company, Dobrai and two of her relatives.

The defendant has also been ordered to pay a combined 129.3 million forints (€ 360,000) to five of the company’s clients as compensation.

Police launched an investigation in April 2015 after a run on the travel agency. Dobrai was arrested on a Belize island in late 2016 on suspicion of large-scale embezzlement.

The company has been under liquidation since 2016. After the trials, Dobrai’s attorney has appealed the sentence.