Buwog affair: OGH is facing Grasser & Co.!

Buwog affair: OGH is facing Grasser & Co.!

The Causa Buwog, which overshadows the political career of Karl-Heinz Grasser, the former finance minister, will soon complete an important chapter in Austrian judicial history. The Supreme Court (OGH) plans to end negotiations on the annual complaints and appeals against the judgment of December 4, 2020 to the end of March 2025. The scheduled appointments for the negotiations are 20th, 21st, 24th and 25th March 2025, such as OE24 . In this process, which extended over a total of 168 days of negotiations and was preceded by seven years of investigative work, the focus is also on Grasser Walter Meischberger and the lobbyist Peter Hochegger.

The allegations in detail

Grasser was sentenced to an eight year sentence of eight years, while Meischberger Sieben and Hochegger received six years. The process refers to the privatization of federal housing associations, especially the Buwog. Grasser was convicted in particular for infidelity, forgery of evidence and illegal gift acceptance. Meischberger is accused of aid and forgery of evidence, while Hochegger is in conjunction with bribes and commissions within the framework of this cause. Among other things, the accusation includes hidden commission agreements in the amount of 9.6 million euros, which should also benefit Grasser, such as The press reported .

The process of Grasser is one of the greatest corruption processes in the history of Austria. The long duration and the complexity of the case raise questions about the efficiency of the judiciary. Despite the severity of the allegations and the already imposed punishments, the presumption of innocence is still valid for the accused until the Supreme Court makes a final decision. If there are delays, the negotiation on an replacement date between April 14 and 17 could be moved, which would continue to cause the expectation to clarify the allegations soon.