Russian espionage:

“The case deserves its own sub-committee”

(Bild: krone.tv)

In the "Rainer Nowak Talk", Reinhold Lopatka from the ÖVP, "profil" editor-in-chief Anna Thalhammer and intelligence expert Dieter Bacher from the Boltzmann Institute discussed the issue.

Former secret service agent Egisto Ott triggered a domestic political quake. He was already suspected of spying for the Russians in 2016/17. "He had a large network of informants," said Anna Thalhammer, editor-in-chief of "profil" and an expert on the case. "There are connections with the Ibiza case and with the fugitive Wirecard manager Jan Marsalek. I'm amazed at the excitement now, even though a lot of it has been in the papers for a long time," she explained to Rainer Nowak.

How could it come to this? Since the Cold War, Austria has had a reputation as a good "operational area for services", explained intelligence expert Dieter Bacher from the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute. There were comparable cases from the Cold War. Apparently Marsalek had succeeded in building up a circle of informants in an Austrian service, which was astonishing and unusual.

Reinhold Lopatka, foreign policy spokesman and EU top candidate of the ÖVP, stated that apparently only a few politicians had been involved, "but it is clear that the then head of the BVT, Peter Gridling, tried to get rid of Ott. This was obviously not successful". And given the scope of the case, "and if our security is worth so much to us, then this case definitely deserves its own committee of inquiry. That would be a matter for the next parliament"

Motives: money, revenge and ego
It is an incredibly complex matter, said expert Thalhammer. Ott and his partner and superior Martin Weiss were very talented, "but it still shows how poorly and weakly we are positioned. The real scandal is that the judiciary stood by for years and members of parliament had information passed on to them by the officials. They had contacts to all parties." One example: Ott had chatted to FPÖ man Jenewein during the committee about which questions he should ask. And he did just that. The motive? "Obviously money and also revenge," said Thalhammer

(Bild: krone.tv)

Historian Bracher referred to the "MICE model", money, ideology, blackmail and ego. These were the motives for getting people to provide confidential information. Marsalek and others may have been aiming more at Ott's ego.

The Russian-Austrian Friendship Society had brought together politicians of all stripes, as well as business people, bankers, etc. There were intensive networks here. There were intensive networks here. Lopakta: "Perhaps we were more naive than others when it came to Russia and Putin. The good contacts with Putin were seen as an opportunity."

"We were laughed at"
What role did neutrality play in Austria's popularity for services? "We have many international organizations, which is always interesting for international services. However, they are less interested in Austria itself than in the area of operations," says Bacher.

Thalhammer referred to the damage caused to Austria by passing on information, particularly from foreign partner services. "That is also an absolute no-go. The services depend on trust and cooperation with others," the scientist also said. This could lead to a lasting loss of trust.

(Bild: Reinhard Holl)

"People laughed at us for a while." In the meantime, the situation has calmed down, according to Thalhammer. The British were sending confidential information again, he said.

What happens now? Should Ott be charged, then, according to the journalist, it would be a first in Vienna. The first step would have to be to admit his weaknesses and that he had allowed himself to be instrumentalized. And not to blame each other, she concludes.