The Hableány (Mermaid) collided with the Viking Sigyn cruise ship on the Danube in Budapest in May 2019, resulting in the deaths of 28 of the 35 people on board, mostly South Korean tourists.
The captain of the Viking Sigyn had been sentenced to 5.5 years in prison by the first-instance court. A retrial was initially ordered in January, but the prosecution appealed the ruling.
The appellate court found that the judge in the original trial should have been recused due to a lack of impartiality.
According to the appeals court, the judge handling the trial had discussed the interpretation of evidence and procedural matters with the prosecution on June 21, 2022, in the absence of the defendant and legal counsel, thereby breaching the principle of equal distribution of duties and impartiality.
The ruling took effect immediately upon issuance.
Producing journalism that is worthy of the name is a costly business. For over 30 years, the publishers, editors and reporters of the Budapest Business Journal have striven to bring you business news that works, information that you can trust, that is factual, accurate and presented without fear or favor.Newspaper organizations across the globe have struggled to find a business model that allows them to continue to excel, without compromising their ability to perform. Most recently, some have experimented with the idea of involving their most important stakeholders, their readers.
We would like to offer that same opportunity to our readers. We would like to invite you to help us deliver the quality business journalism you require. Hit our Support the BBJ button and you can choose the how much and how often you send us your contributions.
