Deliberately delayed?

Pharmacy construction brings mayor to court

The mayor of Scheifling, Gottfried Reif, had to answer to a lay assessor's court in Leoben on Wednesday for deliberately delaying the construction of a pharmacy. He denies abuse of office.

For four years, the construction of a pharmacy in the industrial park in Scheifling has kept the courts busy. Although the provincial administrative court and the administrative court have long since given their sanction in several decisions, the mayor responsible did not want to give his approval.

"Jungle of building and regional planning law"
Public prosecutor Thomas Spiegl therefore accuses the defendant Gottfried Reif of abuse of office. "Because he knowingly and deliberately delayed the proceedings through almost vexatious improvement orders." Defense lawyer Günter Novak-Kaiser counters: "Welcome to the jungle of building and regional planning law." He emphasizes that the point is that everyone has the right to a properly conducted procedure. "If my client had approved this, he would have done it wrong again". It was a void procedure.

Mayor Gottfried Reif(Bild: Eva Stockner)

In fact, the matter is highly complex. It's about zoning plans, core areas and what is and isn't permitted there.

"Why didn't you adhere to the binding decision of the provincial administrative court, namely that the building application conformed to the zoning regulations?" the judge asked. "The plans did not comply," the mayor repeated unperturbed. That's why he would have had his application rejected.

"Not familiar with the front and back"
"I can't imagine that the court looked at the plans." - "I can't judge that, but the decision is still binding," said the chairwoman. "We didn't know our way around the front and back," admits the defendant. "Then you should have just called the court and asked." - "I would certainly do that today," Reif nods. The trial was adjourned. There could be a verdict on Friday.