Equity
Recall of Interpol warrant against MOL chief Hernádi "final and non-appealable"
In a resolution made public on Friday, the Interpol executive committee refused to honour a request by Croatia to renew an existing arrest warrant against Chairman and CEO of Hungarian energy group MOL.
The Interpol decision means that in future, Croatia will not be able to use the procedures of the international police organisation against Hernádi, Michael O'Kane, Senior Partner at Peters & Peters Solicitors of London, said.
As to whether the Croatian government might be expected to challenge the resolution, O'Kane replied in the negative, noting that the decision was final and non-appealable.
MTI asked O'Kane if any information was available on the rationale of the Interpol resolution. According to the head of Hernádi's legal team, the latter submitted a statement to the Interpol ahead of the decision, arguing that similarly to the commercial attack on the MOL Group by the Croatian government, the the warrant of arrest initiated against Hernádi had political motives. Further, the legal advisers argued that the case against MOL had already been fully investigated in Hungary, resulting in Hernádi's acquittal of the criminal charges brought against him.
The basis of the case against Hernádi had been a charge by the Croatian public prosecution that under his management MOL bribed former Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader to obtain controlling rights over local oil company INA with the exception of the latter's loss-making natural gas unit.
MOL has rejected the accusations made in the Sanader trial on several occasions, stating that it never engaged in the bribery of foreign politicians, and never paid money for obtaining controlling rights in INA.
The Interpol decision means that in future, Croatia will not be able to use the procedures of the international police organisation against Hernádi, Michael O'Kane, Senior Partner at Peters & Peters Solicitors of London, said.
As to whether the Croatian government might be expected to challenge the resolution, O'Kane replied in the negative, noting that the decision was final and non-appealable.
MTI asked O'Kane if any information was available on the rationale of the Interpol resolution. According to the head of Hernádi's legal team, the latter submitted a statement to the Interpol ahead of the decision, arguing that similarly to the commercial attack on the MOL Group by the Croatian government, the the warrant of arrest initiated against Hernádi had political motives. Further, the legal advisers argued that the case against MOL had already been fully investigated in Hungary, resulting in Hernádi's acquittal of the criminal charges brought against him.
The basis of the case against Hernádi had been a charge by the Croatian public prosecution that under his management MOL bribed former Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader to obtain controlling rights over local oil company INA with the exception of the latter's loss-making natural gas unit.
MOL has rejected the accusations made in the Sanader trial on several occasions, stating that it never engaged in the bribery of foreign politicians, and never paid money for obtaining controlling rights in INA.
