Former Budapest deputy mayor’s sentence for embezzlement reduced

A Szeged appellate court handed an eighteen-month prison term, suspended for three years, to Miklós Hagyó, Budapest’s former Socialist deputy mayor, on charges of instigating embezzlement on Friday.

The legally binding ruling reduced a first-instance sentence of a two-year prison term suspended for four years handed down in January last year.

At the same time, the court increased the suspended sentence of the third co-defendant, Attila Antal, former CEO of Budapest transport company BKV, to two years. Antal was found guilty of continued embezzlement and using forged documents.

The eighth co-defendant, BKV’s former communications chief, was also handed an increased sentence of three years in prison for continued embezzlement and using forged documents.

Both Antal and the eighth co-defendant were also banned from being involved with the management of any company for four years.

The ruling Fidesz party’s Gyula Budai told a news conference that Fidesz considered the ruling to be “outrageous”. “Miklós Hagyó and co stripped the Budapest and BKV cupboard bare,” he said. The lawmaker added that the ruling was too light. “After many years and burdensome circumstances, the court of second instance only sentenced Hagyó to a suspended jail sentence of 1 year 6 months,” he complained.

Featured image: MTI

Source: MTI