Hungary PM says gas firms' court case win on price cuts "scandalous"

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban presents his annual state-of-the-nation speech in Budapest, February 22, 2013.

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Energy companies in Hungary have won a court case against the government over state-imposed natural gas price cuts, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told parliament on Monday, calling it a "scandalous" legal decision.

"On behalf of the government I must say that the decision of the court is scandalous," Orban said. He said the government would not accept the decision and would submit a new proposal to parliament for even bigger price cuts.

The prime minister said the court was expected to make a separate ruling related to electricity prices next week. The government has cut household energy prices by 10 percent from January and flagged further cuts.

(Reporting by Budapest bureau; Editing by Pravin Char)