Buwog case

Grasser, Meischberger & Co. go to the Supreme Court

Karl Heinz Grasser and his wife Fiona attended the Kitz Race Party in Kitzbühel last weekend.(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH / APA / picturedesk.com)

At the end of March or in Holy Week, the Supreme Court intends to conclude the Buwog case involving former Finance Minister Karl-Heinz Grasser and other defendants such as his best man Walter Meischberger and lobbyist Peter Hochegger. The defendants have lodged nullity complaints and appeals with the Supreme Court against the prison sentences imposed in 2020. 

The trial is scheduled for March 20 to 25 or April 14 to 17, the "Krone" was confirmed. Former Finance Minister Grasser was sentenced to eight years in prison by Judge Marion Hohenecker at the Vienna Regional Criminal Court on December 4, 2020, Maischberger received seven years in prison and Hochegger six years.

The 168-day trial was preceded by seven years of investigative work before the main trial began on December 12, 2017.

Embezzlement, falsification of evidence and acceptance of gifts
The Buwog case concerned the privatization of the federal housing companies during Grasser's time in office. One of these companies was Buwog. Grasser was convicted of embezzlement, falsification of evidence and illegal acceptance of gifts, Meischberger of aiding and abetting and falsification of evidence.

Hochegger was not only charged with contributing to Grasser's crimes, but also with the bribery of the former finance minister by the then Immofinanz boss Karl Petrikovics and the former boss of Raiffeisenlandesbank Oberösterreich (RLB OÖ). According to the judgment, which is not legally binding, hidden commission agreements amounting to EUR 9.6 million are alleged to have been made in the Buwog case. And part of this is also said to have ended up with Grasser. And 200,000 euros are said to have flowed into the Terminal Tower office tower in Linz when Finanz rented the building.

Grasser called the verdict an "outright miscarriage of justice" and a "political judgment". Meischberger accused the judge of bias. Grasser's and Meischberger's lawyers have already announced that they will take the case to the European Court of Justice due to the length of the proceedings.