Former Finance Minister Grasser must serve four years in prison

Former Austrian Finance Minister Karl-Heinz Grasser has been jailed for four years for bribery in connection with the sale of state-owned real estate.

In an appeal trial, the Supreme Court (OGH) confirmed that the former FPÖ politician was guilty of embezzlement and accepting gifts.

However, the Supreme Court halved the original eight-year prison sentence due to the length of the proceedings and overturned Grasser's conviction for tampering with evidence.

9.6 million euros in bribes

Grasser was finance minister from 2000 to 2007. The former FPÖ politician was found guilty by the lower court in 2020 in connection with the sale of around 60,000 state-owned apartments. At the time, the court considered it proven that a total of 9.6 million euros in bribes flowed from the successful bidder to Grasser and other convicted defendants via tax havens in the course of this privatization.

The Supreme Court held that Grasser had demanded this sum - around one percent of the sale proceeds - himself. The Supreme Court also confirmed Grasser's conviction for irregularities relating to the rental agreement of a tax authority.

"These are serious criminal offenses with serious consequences," said the presiding judge of the Supreme Court. "This is unprecedented in Austria".

Grasser announces appeal

Grasser's lawyers had spoken of a political verdict before the Supreme Court. They questioned the objectivity of the first judge because her husband had made negative comments about Grasser on Twitter.

The Supreme Court, however, emphasized that judges are able to make objective judgments despite such expressions of opinion.

The Supreme Court had made an "erroneous judgment" that violated the law and justice, said Grasser. He announced a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights. However, this step will not result in a postponement of the prison sentence.