Serious Allegations

Grasser’s attorneys: “That is our professional duty”

Grasser with his attorneys Manfred Ainedter (left) and Norbert Wess (center).(Bild: Mario Urbantschitsch)

For a year, the Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office investigated a side case involving Karl-Heinz Grasser. And the result has now come as a bombshell. The trio of defense attorneys for the convicted former finance minister filed a complaint against BUWOG Judge Hohenecker—based on forged emails and the testimony of a fraudster. The defense attorneys are now vehemently denying any knowledge of this...

While Karl-Heinz Grasser has already been enjoying the perks of his ankle monitor in Kitzbühel for months, a whole new case involving the convicted former finance minister is now making waves. There is talk of an “attack on the judiciary” aimed at allegedly overturning Grasser’s final judgment. In the spotlight: his three-member defense team. 

Statement of facts submitted to the head of the Public Prosecutor’s Office
The allegations in a nutshell: A supposed IT specialist is said to have contacted Manfred Ainedter’s law firm in late March 2025. Michael B. allegedly claimed to be able to forensically reconstruct evidence showing that the judge who presided over the trial against Karl-Heinz Grasser—Marion Hohenecker—had been biased from the very beginning. On June 24, 2025, former Minister of Justice Dieter Böhmdorfer personally submitted a statement of facts to the head of the Office of the Chief Public Prosecutor.  

A Year of Investigations Against the BUWOG Judge
These statements of facts were based on the information and alleged evidence provided by Michael B., who, as it had already been revealed, is a professional con artist. The investigation into BUWOG judge Marion Hohenecker for abuse of office and bribery was dropped one year later. And the spotlight turned to Grasser’s attorneys. Media reports imply that they may have known about the con artist.

Grasser with his attorneys Manfred Ainedter (left) and Norbert Wess (center).(Bild: Mario Urbantschitsch)

Defense attorneys claim they “merely” fell for the swindler’s scheme
The defense attorneys are now responding to the serious allegations, which are based on the testimony of the briefly detained fraudster Michael B.—and are vehemently and thoroughly refuting them. It is true that the 60-year-old “proactively approached the defense with a letter.” In the client’s best interest, they naturally looked into the matter. 

The defense has always openly communicated any inconsistencies that arose.

Anwaltstrio von Karl-Heinz Grasser

This was followed by months of correspondence and personal discussions—which made the alleged IT forensic expert appear trustworthy and competent. “Subsequently, the defense consulted various experts, including an IT expert,” the press statement reads. When Michael B. then signed a notarized affidavit confirming that his account was accurate, the defense submitted it to the Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Alerted to a Possible Case of Fraud
The trio of attorneys also counters: “The aforementioned statement of facts already explicitly and thoroughly explains that it cannot be ruled out that we may be dealing with a fraudster and that, consequently, a serious case of fraud is involved.” Furthermore, the defense had submitted all the documents in their possession: “Nothing was withheld.”

It is the fundamental professional duty of attorneys and defense counsel to represent the interests of their clients.

Manfred Ainedter, Norbert Wess und Dieter Böhmdorfer

And Michael B. confirmed all of this information—and even expanded upon it—as a witness in the preliminary investigation against Hohenecker. The defense criticizes: “His current statements as a defendant are not subject to an obligation to tell the truth and must be viewed in this light.” The 60-year-old is under investigation for defamation, falsification of evidence, and aggravated commercial fraud.

Meanwhile, shock is spreading among the judiciary: “What has happened here is not merely a crime against a completely irreproachable judge. It is a blatant attack on the judiciary and the fundamental principles of the democratic rule of law,” said Friedrich Forsthuber, chair of the Criminal Law Section of the Association of Austrian Judges. The defense team should have vetted the 60-year-old more thoroughly. “This course of action does not meet the standards expected of the legal profession,” said Forsthuber.

No Defendants Currently Listed
In response to an inquiry from the “Krone,” the Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that defense attorneys Norbert Wess, Manfred Ainedter, and Dieter Böhmdorfer are not currently listed as suspects in the registry. However, since the preliminary investigation against the 60-year-old fraudster is still ongoing, this is not set in stone. We must now await the outcome of the investigation.