Politics Austria: Court considers imprisonment for former finance minister
Will former Austrian Finance Minister Karl-Heinz Grasser have to spend eight years in prison for corruption? The Supreme Court (OGH) in Vienna is discussing this in an appeal trial.
20.03.2025, 13:19
20.03.2025, 13:20
SDA
Former FPÖ politician Grasser was found guilty of embezzlement, accepting gifts and falsifying evidence in 2020 in connection with the sale of around 60,000 state-owned apartments.
As a Supreme Court judge explained this morning, the lower court considered it proven that a total of 9.6 million euros in bribes were paid to Grasser and other convicted defendants in the course of this privatization - around one percent of the sales proceeds.
Grasser had previously given a co-bidder the decisive tip about the amount of the offer required to acquire the properties.
According to the first judgment, Grasser was a "direct perpetrator", said the Supreme Court judge. In the first instance, Grasser was also convicted in connection with a commission for a rental contract from tax authorities in Linz.
Political foster son of Jörg Haider
Grasser was finance minister in conservative-right coalition governments from 2000 to 2007. The once popular politician is regarded as the political foster son of right-wing populist Jörg Haider. Grasser has always denied the accusations against him.
He did not comment to journalists present before the hearing at the Supreme Court. His lawyer spoke of "entirely politically motivated" accusations.
The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the appeals of Grasser and the other six convicts by Tuesday at the latest. The judges can confirm the original verdict, but they can also overturn it in part or in full.
The court also has the option of shortening the sentences.
