The Debrecen District Court convicted a man from Debrecen of a criminal offense of abuse of protected cultural property. In its sentence, the court imposed a fine of HUF 220,000 on the 34-year-old accused with a criminal record.
According to the facts established by the court, the man was engaged in the sale and purchase of old coins and related items at the time the crime was committed. On September 17, 2019, the defendant handed over a package containing 25 coins through a parcel delivery service provider. The coins should have been delivered by the service provider to an address in Germany. The Airport Directorate of the National Tax and Customs Administration selected the package sent by the accused for inspection as part of an in-depth inspection, and during the inspection four coins were found in it, the export of which is subject to a permit. NAV inspectors found in the package two Mária gold forints, a ducat from György Rákóczi from 1631 and a coronation coin from József Ferencz.
During the proceedings, it was established that the coins were the property of the accused and had previously been lawfully in his possession. Under the Cultural Heritage Protection Act, these cultural goods may, with certain exceptions, be exported from the country with an accompanying certificate with the permission of the authority.
The four coins have a Hungarian cultural-historical aspect – as they were made in Hungary, based on the regulations of the Hungarian ruler, with the participation of Hungarian artists, were partly marketed as Hungarian currency – therefore their export from the country is possible only with a license. However, the accused did not have a permit in accordance with the legal regulations and did not submit an application to the artefacts supervisory authority in order to obtain them.
There is no appeal against the sentence handed down on 23 February 2021, but a hearing could have been requested within 8 days of service, as the court could hold a preparatory hearing in the event of a request to hold a hearing. Punishment has become final.
debrecenitorvenyszek.birosag.hu
