Lawyer paid for appointment but ultimately never took up the office
A Szeged lawyer paid five million forint to a middleman to help him secure an independent judicial bailiff position. The court sentenced him to 1 year and 6 months' imprisonment.
Lawyer paid for appointment but ultimately never took up the office
A trial began on Tuesday at the Debrecen Court of Appeal for a former Szeged lawyer who sought to purchase an independent judicial bailiff post for money.
According to the charges, in spring 2019 notices were published for bailiff positions at fifteen district courts. The then forty-nine-year-old lawyer applied for every opportunity. He made contact through a middleman with a person who had influence over the assessment of the applications.
The middleman demanded thirty million forint for the appointment in exchange, from which the decision-maker would also receive a share. The lawyer agreed to the payment, although he did not have the full sum available. He specifically requested not to be sent to a lower-revenue location, as he would have considered the earnings potential there insufficient.
The lawyer handed over five million forint as a deposit to the middleman, who passed it on to the person involved in assessing the applications. The man was ultimately appointed, but was assigned to a district court where he did not want to go at all. In his anger, he ultimately refused to take up the appointment.
Later, a new vacancy was advertised, and the lawyer tried again, this time applying for the Hajdúszoboszló District Court. However, this time it was unsuccessful.
At Tuesday's hearing, the principal defendant admitted his actions and waived his right to make a closing statement. The court accepted the confession and imposed eighteen months' imprisonment for bribery in connection with abuse of official position. The execution of the sentence was suspended for a thirty-month probationary period. The judgment is not yet final, as all parties involved requested three days' reflection period.
Source: 24.hu
Source: 24.hu