Telekom / Valora: Grassers employees have been paid by Telekom

Telekom / Valora: Grbaders employees have been paid by Telekom

VIENNA. A former Gorbach employee worked for Valora Solutions in Grbader's office.

Image: APA

In the case of Telecoms Valora, Judge Marion Hohenecker today examined new payments made by Telekom Austria via Peter Hochegger's Valora company. It was also discussed that a former employee of the former Finance Minister, Karl-Heinz Grbader (FPÖ / ÖVP), had been paid to Valora Solutions with telecommunication money.

The woman worked from autumn 2003 to January 2007 as Vice-Chancellor and Minister for Transport, Hubert Gorbach (FPÖ / BZÖ). In January 2007, the government resigned. Subsequently, Gernot Schieszler – now acting as a witness – mediated the telecom of the woman occupied by Peter Hochegger. Rudolf Fischer, Telekom's former board, main defendant, said today that she had done everything for the telecommunications sector. He had learned the cause only during the preliminary investigation.

Former lobbyist and co-defendant Hochegger explained that an acquaintance of Gorbach's wife and friend had asked the telecom that it would be hired for a year after leaving the cabinet of Gorbach. He could not have used it in a public relations agency because there would have been a riot by his staff, he said. Apparently, a former Gorbach employee was not welcome in the Hochegger team.

The woman worked until December 2007 at Valora Solutions in the offices of Grbader and Walter Meischberger. This is also part of the Telekom Valora procedure on the platform. She had worked for Grbader in her job, but Grbader had not worked for Valora Solutions for a long time after leaving the government because he had then started major projects with Julius Meinl, explained Meischberger, stressing that he had never been his boss felt.

The cost of employment amounting to about 60,000 euros, they were paid by the company Hochegger Valora with telecommunications money. Valora Solutions billed the fees to Valora, explained Hochegger, using fictitious statements about alleged advice that the woman had not provided.

In addition, Valora Solutions did not indicate any employees in the corporate register at the time, said Judge Marion Hohenecker.

With Telekom money was also sponsored a 2007 AIDS Gala in Vienna, came to the former US President Bill Clinton arrived. The sponsorship was made at the request of the then Federal Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer (SPÖ), had accepted this agreement, said Fischer. Hochegger invoiced Telekom 180 000 euros including VAT, the agency of the event had invoiced to Hochegger only 50 000 euros. The remaining 100,000 euros remained a mystery to him, Fischer said.

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