Minister wants to sponsor Hühner-Weitflug «DiePresse.com

The fourth day of the trial in the "Black Party Coffers" case was a golf trip inscribed on the agenda of the Vienna Regional Court for criminal cases. Former Finance Minister Karl-Heinz Grbader, who had not been charged in the case, and the defendants, the former lobbyist Walter Meischberger and the former member of the Telekom Austria's board of directors, Rudolf Fischer, had it done. The real estate agent Ernst Karl Plech was also present.

The reason for mentioning the trip to Spain was an allegedly planned construction of a golf course in Vienna, which Telekom Austria could have co-sponsored. In the spring of 2004, a golf professional was visited in San Sebastian, Spain, to discover what he could build in Vienna, said Fischer. A golf professional was also traveling. And Fischer admitted, "We also played golf."

Grbader, Meischberger, Fischer and Plech flew at their own expense with a regular airline and then flew with a private plane, to the detriment of Telekom Austria. The invoice of 11,940 euros was not paid by Telescom, but by the company "ZehnVierzig" Meischberger to the company Hochegger Valora, she paid with telecommunication money. "Why?", Judge Marion Hohenecker wanted to know. It was "rather arrived" and "maybe unfortunate," Fischer said.

Terrorist attack as the reason for the private jet

The judge then explained why a private plane had been taken. Fischer explained that it was a terrorist attack in Madrid on Friday afternoon, after which Fischer wanted to return Monday to the telecommunications headquarters, because he had learned after the attacks that telecommunication networks were particularly in demand. He therefore asked Meischberger to use his contacts to organize a private plane. He did not agree with Telekom. However, the terrorist attack took place on March 11, 2004 – Thursday morning.

After the trip to Spain, Judge Hohenecker on Tuesday paid out payments to the FPÖ party body, "Neue Freie Zeitung". Fischer said the then minister, Hubert Gorbach, had called to ask for FPÖ support. About Meischberger then sponsored the "New Free Newspaper" and settled on the Valora. He promised around 150,000 euros, said Fischer. "With these promises from sponsors, attention to the political landscape was at the forefront," said Fischer. "For me, it was not a party gift without consideration, I saw it as an investment in the future."

The afternoon brought other sponsorship applications to light. So, Fischer said that one day, a minister asked him to sponsor a distance flying championship. While Fischer pointed out that he had refused, the description made by Judge Hohenecker to laugh including tears of laughter.

Fischer did not mean who the minister was. At the time in question, however, the "Kleine Zeitung" was able to say: "A distance flying championship for chickens at the Längsee, three weight clbades come in. The Minister of Transport Reichhold makes an honorary sponsorship "In addition, on August 19, 2002, the newspaper announced that the local bakery club, the event organizer, was animal-friendly and certified by a veterinarian. The first three chickens were spared the fate of becoming Backhendl.

The Carinthian poultry farmer, Mathias Reichhold, took up his post as Minister of Transport in 2002, after which he was also chairman of the FPÖ for a short time. He resigned as Minister of Transport after about a year.

(APA / Red.)