The ruling, which is not yet final, will be challenged by Šrot's defence.

While Pivovarna Union and Delo, which were a part of the Pivovarna Laško group at the time, were seeking a combined EUR 76m, the brewer is to get EUR 51m and newspaper publisher EUR 10m, the lawyer representing the two companies told Radio Slovenija.

The ruling is not yet final, and Šrot's lawyer Matej Erjavec announced an appeal. He told the radio station that the matter was still being examined.

The damage suit brought by Union and Delo is related to the management buyout of Pivovarna Laško in 2008 and 2009 by Šrot as the chairman of the group and chief supervisor of subsidiaries Pivovarna Union and Radenska.

The buyout was eventually funded with loans that Laško group companies lent to buyout vehicles Infond Holding and Center Naložbe, which were never paid back in full.

The buyout attempt collapsed when the financial crisis caused share values to drop, leaving the group saddled with debt and under the control of the creditor banks.

Šrot has been given a prison term of four years and two months in relation to the case, but the sentence is not yet final, as he has filed an appeal to the Supreme Court, seeking annulment or at least a re-trial.

Šrot is currently serving a sentence of five years and ten months for abuse of office in a chain sale of a 7.3% stake in holding Istrabenz in 2007. He has filed a constitutional appeal over this ruling.

Pivovarna Union and Delo are not the only companies seeking compensation from Šrot in court, as former Laško subsidiaries Radenska and Fructal are seeking more than EUR 100m. Pivovarna Laško has also filed a lawsuit against Šrot.