scandal in court: smuggling trial causes excitement and astonishment!

scandal in court: smuggling trial causes excitement and astonishment!

The Commerzialbank Mattersburg trial is taking a dramatic turn: the main accused, Martin Pucher (68), will be absent from the upcoming trial, which begins on January 14th in Eisenstadt, due to health problems. According to a court report, his ability to stand trial is severely limited after he suffered two strokes in 2015. The bank failure caused enormous damage of at least 600 million euros, which makes the court ruling all the more significant. While other defendants, including former bank executive Franziska Klikovits, will stand trial, it remains unclear whether Pucher's previous statements can be used if he is unable to testify, reports Krone.at.

Smuggling process causes outrage

meinkreis.at reported. Emotions boiled over when the first defendant asked loudly after the verdict was announced whether it was really only 20 months.

The trial demonstrated the serious problems in dealing with human smuggling and the hierarchy within the smuggling gang that illegally transported hundreds of migrants to Burgenland. While the public prosecutor's office demanded harsh punishments, the lenient sentences frustrated them in their work. These circumstances led to the prosecutor leaving the courtroom without explanation, giving her the opportunity to appeal the verdict within three days.