The prosecutor's office is appealing against the first-degree sentence of the former Lutheran minister and left-wing politician for aggravation.

The Budapest II. and III. District Court on June 12

found László Donáth, a former Lutheran pastor, guilty of two consecutive counts of indecent assault and physical assault,

for which he sexually harassed several times in 2019 and, according to the accusation, strangled one of the employees of the Gaudiopolis Békásmegyeri Evangelical Charity that he managed during an argument.

The court fined the father of the current EP representative, Anna Donáth, a HUF one million fine for all of this.

Last week, a first-degree verdict was announced for the second time in the criminal proceedings that lasted for several years. The former MSZP member of parliament - whose legal representation is provided by the Minister of Justice of the Medgyessy government, Péter Bárándy - was first sentenced by the court to two and a half years of suspended prison without a trial.

However, Donáth asked for a hearing, and at the end of the proceedings, he was only found guilty of defamation, his sentence was significantly reduced and he was only fined six hundred thousand forints. In the case of indecency, the procedure was terminated.

Anna Donáth's father was convicted of assault and indecent assault

The prosecution initiated the annulment of the verdict

Precisely because the court, even in the event of termination of the proceedings, would have had a legal obligation to establish the facts in the part of the proceedings for the offense of indecent assault.

The Metropolitan Court granted the prosecutor's motion, overturned the first-instance judgment and ordered the II. and III. District Court. The defense announced its appeal against the guilty verdict announced last week, but the prosecution asked for three days to think about it.

According to a statement from the Metropolitan Prosecutor's Office, the prosecutor's office will also appeal, even for aggravation

According to the prosecutor's office, the fine does not have enough deterrent force,

the fact that, according to the verdict, the accused used his position and relationship of trust to commit the crime increases the danger to society.

The prosecution therefore proposes that the court sentence László Donáth to a suspended prison sentence. Since both parties thus filed an appeal, it became certain that the first-instance judgment will not become final, the procedure will continue in the second instance at the Capital Court.

Featured image: Mandiner / Márton Ficsor