Styrian accused

FPÖ financial scandal: First trial on the sidelines

A mini fragment of the overall proceedings surrounding the Graz FPÖ financial scandal took place on Wednesday at the provincial criminal court.(Bild: Stockner, Krone KREATIV)

Investigations into the Graz FPÖ financial scandal have been ongoing for two and a half years. Now the first trial has taken place, an "outgrowth of the procedural strand", as the public prosecutor explained. The accused is a former employee of the FPÖ club in the town hall.

The Styrian is said to have received exactly 6165.65 euros from the AMS between October 2019 and March 2020 without justification, as judge Gerhard Leitgeb explained. "You pretended to be unemployed and did not disclose that you were marginally employed." At the same time, the accused allegedly received 6,000 euros in black money from the FPÖ municipal council club. 

Alexis Pascuttini, former FPÖ municipal councillor in Graz and now club chairman of the (corruption) Free Municipal Council Club (KFG) as well as a trained lawyer, appeared in court on Wednesday as a private party representative of the KFG and wanted to join the trial with damages of 500 euros.

Illegal payments outside the actual facts of the case
Judge Leitgeb rejected the connection due to a lack of victim status. "The victim is the AMS, the injured party is the AMS." The (Corruption) Free Municipal Council Club was harmed by the paying hand, and that lies outside the facts of the case of serious fraud to be heard here. Pascuttini, who was expelled from the FPÖ, then moved from the bench to the audience area for the lawyers.

Back to the case: the accused, who studied philosophy, had finally brought the malversations to light himself. "He could no longer reconcile this with his conscience," emphasized his defence lawyer. But it was only through him that everything came to light. Due to his financial difficulties - four children and no job - he had received the two incomes, although he knew that he was not allowed to do so.

He set everything in motion himself and brought it to light. He could no longer reconcile it with his conscience.

Der Verteidiger 

"Fully guilty", the 47-year-old also declared. The judge suggested an out-of-court settlement (diversion). If he performs 240 hours of community service and makes amends to the AMS within six months, the matter will be settled. "Otherwise the proceedings will continue and then there will be a verdict," Leitgeb concluded. The ex-FPÖ employee gratefully accepted.

Evidence of black money flows?
It remains to be seen how exactly this court case is connected to the FPÖ financial scandal in Graz. Is the defendant possibly a key witness? Was he able to provide the public prosecutor's office with information about the flow of black money? These questions remained unanswered. 

The entire case, in which ex-FPÖ deputy mayor Mario Eustacchio and ex-FPÖ club boss Armin Sippel are among those under investigation, is about allegedly embezzled club funding amounting to 1.8 million euros. In order to avoid accusations of bias, the public prosecutor's office in Klagenfurt is in charge, "also in this outgrowth of the proceedings", according to the prosecutor from Carinthia.