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The court considers it proven that the former finance minister inflicted millions of dollars in damages to the republic for infidelity, and not just him. Grasser speaks of a wrong judgment and announces an appointment; you are not alone with that either. The “press” reported live.
The long-awaited, and therefore not legally binding, first instance judgment has been issued in the largest corruption trial in Austrian judicial history: former Finance Minister Karl-Heinz Grasser He was sentenced to eight years in prison on Friday in the “Buwog” and “Terminal Tower” trials. The court found him guilty of breach of trust, falsifying evidence, and accepting gifts from officials. After the trial, the 51-year-old announced “sad, shocked and scared” that he would immediately appeal and appeal against the annulment. “I expected an acquittal” and will continue to fight for it, because: “I know I am innocent.”
The court sees it differently: “Grasser and his accomplices” had a “plan” to illegally enrich themselves, Judge Marion Hohenecker, chair of the jury, said of a “historical problem.” In the course of the privatization process of federal apartments in 2004, he revealed information about the offer of a bidding consortium and, through his confidant Walter Meischberger, passed it to the tender, the “Austria Consortium”. From the latter, a payment of hidden commissions of around 9.6 million euros flowed in tranches. “None of the defendants wanted anyone to find out about this commission,” said the judge, and “accepted” that this “would not be possible without abuse of authority.”
The procedure was similar in the course of the rental of Upper Austrian financial services at the Linz Terminal Tower. The jury was convinced that there were bribes here too.
Meischberger found guilty and acquitted
But not only Grasser, but also his godfather, the former secretary general and adviser of the FPÖ Walter Meischberger, was found guilty and sentenced to seven years in prison. After this was announced, he immediately left the grand jury room. Through his defense lawyer, Jörg Zarbl, he sent a message that action would be taken against the “inconceivable error of judgment” and that “questions of bias from the presiding judge” would be brought before the European Court of Human Rights.
Lobbyist Peter Hochegger, who was the only one of the large number of defendants who had made a partial confession, was sentenced to six years in prison. Their remarks did not mitigate the penalty, Hohenecker said, because they could not have been described as repentant and beyond that they would have made no contribution to establishing the truth.
And Those Are Not All Guilty Verdicts – Former Telekom Board Member Rudolf Fischer became a year old, the former head of Immofinanz Karl Petrikovics For two years, former RLB-Upper Austria board member Georg Starzer to three years, attorney Gerald Toifl two years and Swiss asset manager Norbert W. Sentenced to 20 months in prison.
But there was also Absolutions: Five defendants who had to answer in the Terminal Tower matter were acquitted. And Meischberger was also exonerated: he was acquitted of the fraud charge in the “Villa Cause.” By the way, the Tyrolean was the only defendant in this matter. It revolved around his old home in Vienna, which he had to give in to financiers to pay off his tax debts.
Compensation to the Republic
Returning to the main defendants: these were not only sentenced to prison by the court, but they should also cede their share of the commission for the privatization of federal apartments to the federal government. If the trial becomes final, the state can claim the illegal actions of Grasser and Meischberger directly, but it gets more complicated with Hochegger. Since the lobbyist has filed for personal bankruptcy, the state has to recover the lost money through civil litigation.
CA Immo, who was left behind in the federal apartment bidding process, was also referred to a civil law action by the lay judge with her claims. Likewise, Immofinanz did not get any direct support from today’s ruling, so it can only attempt to sue its claims in civil court.
No verdict for Plech, reflection time for WKStA
By the way, there was no conviction on day 169 of the trial for co-defendant real estate agent Ernst Karl. Sheet metal. For a long time he has been considered unable to appear for health reasons, which is why he has not appeared at the Gray House, as the Vienna Criminal Court is also called, for a long time.
The top two prosecutors, Gerald Denk and Alexander Marchart, did not release statements after the verdict was delivered on Friday, but did send one in the mail. In it they announce that the Public Ministry of Economy and Corruption (WKStA) will carry out “an examination of the oral judgment.” In the next step, a report will be submitted to the Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office with your “planned plans to register an appeal”.
All the details on the culprit and acquittal in the ticker review:
