MOL regrets that the court trying former Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader has refused to hear MOL CEO Zsolt Hernadi as a witness, because we would have much to say about this case which would certainly interest the court, the parties involved and the public in general, MOL said in a brief statement signed by MOL Group spokesman Domokos Szollar.

Sanader is on trial before the Zagreb County Court for allegedly receiving a commission of 3.6 million kuna from Austria's Hypo bank and for taking 10 million euros in bribes from MOL to help it acquire a dominant position in the Croatian oil company INA.

Sanader's defence has moved to call Hernadi as a witness because the prosecution claims that he gave Sanader the 10 million euros in bribes. The Trial Chamber dismissed the motion on Thursday after the prosecution explained that if Hernadi were within reach of the Croatian authorities he would be an accused in this case rather than a witness.