Officials at the Office for Suppression of Corruption and Organized Crime (USKOK) made the above statement after the Budapest Court of Appeals on Wednesday upheld the acquittal of Hernádi on charges of international bribery and other crimes,

The Budapest ruling is final, and Hernádi’s attorney said the question could arise if this was a closed case now, Croatian news agency HINA reported.

But USKOK officials said the Hungarian court’s ruling did not change anything and the proceedings against Hernádi could continue. They recalled that the indictment in Croatia against the MOL executive was valid and criminal proceedings against him had been launched three years before the court case in Hungary started. They also underlined that the Croatian prosecutors had never referred the case to the Hungarian authorities, HINA reported.

In the Zagreb County Court, a preparatory hearing is scheduled for next week, when the court could set a date for Hernádi’s trial. Hernádi is to be tried in absentia.