Accusation of embezzlement

Public prosecutor’s office investigates mayor

Mayor Johann Mitterlehner from Vorchdorf is facing accusations of embezzlement.

(Bild: Wenzel Markus)

The mayor of Vorchdorf, Johann Mitterlehner (ÖVP), has been charged with suspected embezzlement in connection with double salaries for the head of the municipal building department. According to the public prosecutor's office in Wels, there is an initial suspicion. It initiated further investigations against the head of the municipality and the official.

The Wels public prosecutor's office confirms the investigations against Vorchdorf mayor Johann Mitterlehner (VP) and the head of the building authority on suspicion of embezzlement.

Problem known since 2017
As reported, the high-ranking civil servant is said to have received a controversial payment for local building supervision in addition to his salary. The district authority of Gmunden pointed out the problem to the municipality back in 2017, but this is likely to have been ignored several times. The presumption of innocence applies to all parties involved.

Critical report from the supervisory authority
A letter from the state's Directorate for Internal Affairs and Municipal Affairs could be incriminating for the head of the municipality. In a nutshell, it expresses the suspicion that this is a concealed salary increase at the expense of the taxpayer.

The entire content of the IKD letter must be read out at a municipal council meeting and thus also made public. "This is tantamount to media prejudgement," says an annoyed Mario Mayr, leader of the ÖVP parliamentary group. It is still too early to comment on the investigations by the public prosecutor's office: "Let the courts do their work. But the fact is that Mayor Mitterlehner has a hand in it. He had to implement the resolutions of the municipal council, which were always passed by a majority."