Corfe Castle businessman freed from jail in Hungary (From Bournemouth Echo)

Corfe Castle businessman freed from jail in Hungary

9:39am Saturday 27th February 2010 in

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IMPRISONED Corfe Castle businessman Michael Turner has been freed from jail in Hungary.

For four months Michael, 27, who was jointly extradited to Hungary last November with former business partner Jason McGoldrick, has been languishing in a tough ex-KGB prison on the outskirts of Budapest while his family led a campaign for his release.

And that moment finally came out of the blue on Friday.

Michael’s father Mark, who runs the Castle Inn Pub, said his son was elated but bewildered by the release – the terms of which have yet to be made clear to him.

He told the Echo: “He doesn’t even know himself. He was told to pick up his things and go. He assumed he was being moved to somewhere else, but them gave him his things back – his mobile his credit cards back, opened the door and basically threw him out.”

His son and Mr McGoldrick are still in Budapest and have yet to arrange travel documents.

“He’s not rushing anywhere,” added Mark. “He’s meeting his lawyer this morning to find out exactly why he’s been released and what the situation is. The most important thing is they want to clear their names and make sure this is progressed properly and not they’re seen to be running away from any accusations.”

The two men were extradited, under much-maligned European extradition regulations, after being accused by the Hungarian authorities of defrauding more than 100 people following the collapse of their Budapest-based marketing company in 2004. They deny any wrong-doing.

His father told the Echo Michael was kept in “appalling conditions” throughout his ordeal.