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Eight years in prison for former finance minister Karl-Heinz Grasser, seven years for Walter Meischberger, six years for Peter Hochegger. Those are the guilty verdicts in Buwog’s trial. Grasser’s lawyer has already announced his appointment.
Since Claudia Gigler and Christina Traar | 11:59 am, December 4, 2020
In the corruption process against the former finance minister Karl-Heinz Grasser and more 13 defendants Today a verdict was pronounced after a three-year trial. judge Marion hohenecker she proclaims the verdict as Speaker of the Senate of Lay Judges, which will likely take several hours due to the far-reaching trial.
The essence was clear from the first minute: the three main defendants, Karl-Heinz Grasser, the former politician and later lobbyist Walter Meischberger as well as business consultants Peter hochegger they are guilty, the judge began Hohenecker. There are also convictions for Karl Petrikovics, the former head of Immofinanz, and Georg starzer, former board member of RLB Upper Austria, as well as former head of Telekom Rudolf fischer, as Gerald toifl, Former attorney for Meischberger, and Norbert Wicki, a Swiss asset manager.
- Karl Heinz Grasser: Eight years
- Walter Meischberger: Seven years
- Peter Hochegger: Six additional years in prison
- Karl Petrikovics: Two more years in prison
- Rudolf Fischer: Additional penalty one year
- Georg Starzer – three years
- Gerald Toifl – two years
- Norberto Wicki – 20 months
Infidelity and acceptance of gifts
Grasser was due Infidelity, falsification of evidence and acceptance of gifts condemned by officials. The judge said that he had abused his political function, violated patrimonial interests and did not fulfill his obligations.
Eight years in prison for former finance minister Karl-Heinz Grasser, seven years for Walter Meischberger (breach of trust, falsification of evidence, bribery), six years for Peter Hochegger (embezzlement, infidelity, bribery, false evidence). Those are the convictions.
All judgments are not final. Grasser’s lawyer has already resigned vocation to. The second defendant in Grasser’s trial, former FPÖ secretary general Walter Meischberger, emerged from the grand jury court of Vienna’s criminal district court, visibly upset, as Judge Marion Hohenecker delivered the verdict. He was just awaiting his seven-year sentence.
Thus, he overlooked the fact that he was luckier, in at least one other case: he was acquitted of the fraud allegations surrounding the sale of his villa in Vienna-Döbling.
Infidelity since 2003
The staccato judge’s findings: Grasser had been infidel since late 2003. He was Finance Minister from February 2000 to January 2007. The controversial accounts actually belonged to him and building contractor Ernst Karl Plech – Plech declared himself unable to be presented practically from the beginning of the judicial hearings.
In relation to the attempt to classify the money he had deposited in cash in a Swiss account as his mother-in-law’s money (which she later denied), the judge speaks of falsification of evidence.
The position of the Economic and Corruption Prosecutor’s Office threw the Minister of Finance into two governments of the former foreign minister Wolfgang bowl In front:
- He committed breach of confidence in the privatization of federal apartments (Buwog) in 2004 and allowed himself to be bribed. This represents a commission of 9.6 million euros.
- He is also said to have received a bribe when the tax authorities rented the Terminal Tower office building in Linz. 200,000 euros are said to have entered the Linz office building.
According to the indictment, the money was shared between Grasser and his accomplices. Grasser and the co-defendants Walter Meischberger Y Serious plague – for a long time without being able to be tried for health reasons – rejected the accusations and accused the accusers of partiality and violation of the law.
The former lobbyist co-defendant Peter hochegger made a partial confession at the beginning of the trial and thus incriminated the other defendants.
