Grasser in jail: 21 years of judiciary ends with harder punishment!

Grasser in jail: 21 years of judiciary ends with harder punishment!

In a lengthy legal case, Karl-Heinz Grasser will have to compete in the future. The Supreme Court (OGH) has confirmed the first instance judgment in the Causa Buwog and reduced Grasser from eight to four years. This marks the end of a procedure that lasted 21 years and met with mixed reactions in public. Grasser has announced that his co -accused Walter Meischberger, who received a reduction in his punishment to three and a half years, lodged a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). This is done against the background that the punished punishments exclude a conditional priority.

The duration of the procedure of 16 was perceived by many as unfair, not the judgment itself. The role of the original judge, whose husband had expressed resentment against Grasser in tweets, was also critically considered. The emotional discussion about the integrity of the judicial system is reinforced by reports on political influences in the Austrian criminal law system. In the Kreutner report, which deals with the rule of law in Austria, it is stated that there are serious defects in the judicial system that go beyond the Causa Grasser. These shortcomings, including the feared "two-class" judiciary, were also addressed according to Christian Pilnacek, a former high-ranking judicial officer, who expressed concerns about political pressure.

public perception and legal implications

Public sympathy for Grasser has dropped greatly, especially after a TV show in which he read a letter from a fan that described him as "too beautiful and too rich". Such statements contribute to the fact that there are not only legal but also social prejudices against him. These aspects raise questions about the extent to which sympathy or antipathy as well as lifestyle or political questions in the courtroom can play a role. A review of the long investigations shows that Grasser has suffered massively and mentally massively from the procedural stress. His wife Fiona Swarovski showed loyalty during this time, but the stress was enormous.

The discussion about the reform of the judicial system in Austria accelerates after the Minister of Justice Alma Zadic established an investigation commission that is supposed to examine the defects and perceived injustices in dealing with celebrities. The Kreutner report calls for the introduction of an independent Attorney General and the strengthening of the economic and corruption prosecutor. Political instructions in the Ministry of Justice are considered problematic by the report because they endanger the independence of the judiciary.