Trial in Feldkirch

Family clan on trial for dangerous crida

The four defendants at the trial on Monday.

(Bild: Chantal Dorn, Krone KREATIV)

On Monday, the three-day trial against a family of Turkish origin, who allegedly defrauded creditors of around 220,000 euros in the course of a bankruptcy, began at Feldkirch Regional Court.

Since Monday, a woman of Turkish origin and her three sons have had to answer for the crime of fraudulent crida and the offense of grossly negligent impairment of creditors' interests before the court of lay assessors in Feldkirch. If found guilty as charged, the defendants face prison sentences of between six months and five years. The verdict is due to be handed down on Friday.

The company was literally sucked dry
The public prosecutor's accusation: the family members allegedly suffered shipwreck with their cab company and defrauded creditors of 220,000 euros in the course of their insolvency. According to public prosecutor Julia Berchtold, the quartet is alleged to have deliberately caused the insolvency of the family business: "Their aim was never to run a marketable business. Both the three managing directors and the mother, who was a shareholder in the GmbH, were only interested in squeezing as much money as possible out of the company." According to the accusation, the defendants had accepted the fact that their creditors were ultimately left holding the bag financially.

Both the three managing directors and the mother, who was a shareholder in the GmbH, were only interested in squeezing as much money as possible out of the company.

Staatsanwältin Julia Berchtold

The case: The accused founded the cab company in 2017. The management changed several times, and the mother was also appointed as the sole shareholder. There was no proper bookkeeping. Instead, from 2018 to 2022, there were numerous withdrawals from the business account amounting to more than 210,000 euros (!) for private purposes.

First defendant pleads not guilty
When the company operators filed for bankruptcy in 2022, the company was 220,000 euros in debt. The trustee in bankruptcy finally presses charges. At the trial, the 35-year-old first defendant pleaded not guilty and denied being the managing director of the company. He only assisted his brother in filing for insolvency. The trial will continue on Wednesday.