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Buwog-Prozess: swirling around new evidence
VIENNA. Even before the former Finance Minister, Karl-Heinz Grasser, is questioned, new evidence is leading to excitement in the hearing room. [De gauche à droite.] The lawyer Norbert Wess, the chief defendant Karl Heinz Grasser and the lawyer Manfred Ainedter
Grasser is part of the allegations of the indictment He had heard that he had accepted bribes in the privatization of federal housing and in the leasing of an office building in Linz . The specific allegations in the indictment are the acceptance of gifts by officials, the falsification of evidence and the provision of infidelity. If he is found guilty, Grasser incurs a maximum penalty of ten years imprisonment. The main defendant rejects allegations of the Office of the Prosecutor for the Economy and Corruption
In July, three days of trial are scheduled (17, 18 and 19 July) and a hearing is also scheduled for 1 August. Then there is a long interruption of the process until it resumes on September 18th.
Up to now, ten accused have been interviewed: Lobbyist Peter Hochegger was the first accused to speak on December 20, 2017, the sixth day of the trial. He made a partial confession and accused in Grasser and Meischberger. From January 24, the former boss of Immofinanz, Karl Petrikovics, sat on the "hot seat" and was interviewed. He charged the co-defendant, former banker Raiffeisen, Georg Starzer. Starzer was questioned from February 13, he rejected all allegations and pointed out that he had not reached agreement with Hochegger on the commission of a million dollars.
The Chronology
From 21. February was then the former manager of Immofinanz Christian Thornton at the round of questioning. He had paid the million commission to Hochegger, but only sees himself as a messenger and "Rechenknecht" on behalf of Petrikovics.
The 28. February the 21st trial, the treatment of the "Linzer Causa" for a payment of 200,000 euros as part of the construction of the office building "Terminal Tower" – according to the indictment also bribes for Grasser. During this procedure, five interviewees, whose APA does not name the name for reasons of personal protection, were interviewed, namely the former leaders of the construction group Porr, Raiffeisen Leasing and the subsidiary Real Treuhand from RLB-OÖ
. April the 29th day of the trial, began the investigation on Walter Meischberger, former trading partner of Hochegger, former FPÖ politician and Grasser's best man. Since Meischberger used the entire first day of his consistent opinion on the charges, Judge Hohenecker was unable to start on April 24, the 30th trial, with the actual detailed investigation.
Grasser arrived only on 19. June the 41st day of the trial, for the first time in detail. He took the opportunity to make a consistent statement in which he asserted his innocence. On June 20 and 21, he was questioned by Judge Hohenecker. The ex-finance minister pointed out that he had not informed Meischberger of the procurement procedure for federal housing. He knew nothing of his consulting work, which Meischberger claimed to have provided for more than 7 million euros. The joint legal appointments with Meischberger, he explained that he had wanted to inform.
Not yet consulted were the former Meischberger lawyer, Gerald Toifl, the former financial adviser of Grasser, Norbert Wicki and the real estate agent and former chairman of the supervisory board of Buwog Ernst Karl Plech . Although Plech was present at the beginning of the process, it has not come to the negotiations for months. He is unable to negotiate for health reasons.
From the beginning of the trial, unable to negotiate for health reasons and therefore absent, the co-defendant Raiffeisenlandesbank-Oberösterreich-Director General Ludwig Scharinger
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