Bribery scandal

15 months suspended for each of the main defendants

The large-scale proceedings concerned the bribery of dozens of foremen.

(Bild: ROBERT JAEGER / APA / picturedesk.com)

The major trial surrounding the bribery and corruption scandal at Wiener Wohnen came to an end on Wednesday evening at the regional court with suspended prison sentences for the main defendants.

A 58-year-old company boss, who is alleged to have "bribed" dozens of Wiener Wohnen foremen from April 2011 to 2013, and two close employees of the entrepreneur each received 15-month suspended sentences.

"Keeping foremen happy"
The panel of lay judges assumed that the payments were made for the dutiful performance of official duties, "to keep the foremen happy", as the presiding judge Thomas Spreitzer stated in the reasons for the verdict. The three main defendants - in addition to the entrepreneur, who ran a glazing and painting business, a stonemasonry business and several construction companies during the period in question, his managing director and the head of accounting and human resources - were therefore found guilty of granting benefits within the meaning of Section 307a StGB.

"Completely untrustworthy"
The judge described the 58-year-old's denial of responsibility as both "unique" and "completely unbelievable". Three foremen who had pleaded "not guilty" in the proceedings, which had been ongoing since September, were given between one and three months' conditional sentences for bribery. The different sentences were explained by the varying extent of the individual enrichment, which was between 50 and 830 euros.

40 foremen who had originally also been charged were largely dealt with by way of diversion before the trial finale. "They at least admitted that these incidents had occurred and that they were sorry," said the judge. It was therefore possible to refrain from sentencing them. A few foremen were acquitted due to a lack of evidence - in the end, this also applied to one of the contractor's employees, who could not be proven to have contributed to the respective acts.

Defense lawyers ask for time to think
The verdicts are not legally binding. The defense attorneys asked for time to reflect, the public prosecutor did not make a statement for the time being. The 58-year-old's group of companies had carried out orders for Wiener Wohnen at the time. In the form of "house lists" or "repair lists", work was carried out in municipal housing estates.

In order to continue to receive additional work orders, foremen are said to have been given fuel and shopping vouchers, and in rare cases also material assets. The judge spoke of "voucher management" in the reasons for the verdict. Three and later five percent of turnover were decisive for the amount of the "sweets".