Court of Auditors criticism

Many unanswered questions about cheap hotel property

The sale of the land for the "Freigold" hotel has been causing debate in Freistadt since 2021(Bild: B. Stockinger)

Neither the city nor the state seem to have much interest in clarifying the site for the "Freigold" in Freistadt, which was sold far too cheaply. The provincial court of auditors hails criticism. The recommendation to investigate the case was made a year ago, but not much has happened yet. 

Exactly one year after the opening and a successful balance sheet with more than 36,000 overnight stays, there is still a stir about the construction of the "Freigold" hotel in Freistadt. The provincial court of auditors has criticized the fact that the controversial sale of the land has still not been fully clarified despite explicit requests to the province.

As reported, the city is said to have sold the approximately 9200 square meter site well below market value in 2021. Instead of 650,000, around 900,000 euros should have been paid. The expert opinion prepared for this is also highly questionable. "In connection with the inadequate expert reports in the context of the sale of the land for the hotel project, we recommended that the state government, in its role as supervisory authority, should critically monitor the further steps taken by the municipality and, if necessary, take supervisory measures," LRH Director Rudolf Hoscher criticizes the sluggish implementation.

Only initial steps taken
"The state has been asked several times for information and should use its supervisory powers to exert pressure on the municipality to have the sale price reviewed again by an independent party," says Hoscher. This meant that the contradictions identified in the own-initiative review could not yet be resolved, as the city of Freistadt had not yet fulfilled its promise to obtain a further independent expert opinion. Overall, only the first steps towards clarification have been taken.

No one feels responsible
At the state level, the departments are passing the ball to each other, neither Manfred Haimbuchner, the deputy governor responsible for municipal supervision, nor Michael Lindner, the SP state councillor responsible for municipal finances, feel responsible.

Difficult search for expert
The SP mayor of Freistadt, Christian Gratzl, who was not yet head of the town when the land was sold and took over the office from Elisabeth Teufer (VP), announces full transparency: "We are making every effort, but it is not so easy to find an expert for a counter-appraisal.

MZ