Buwog affair: OGH is about to make its final judgment on Grasser & Co.!

Buwog affair: OGH is about to make its final judgment on Grasser & Co.!

The Buwog case, which overshadowed the political career of Karl-Heinz Grasser, the former finance minister, will soon close an important chapter in Austrian judicial history. The Supreme Court (OGH) plans to end the negotiations on the nullity complaints and appeals against the judgment from December 4, 2020 by the end of March 2025. The scheduled dates for the negotiations are March 20, 21, 24 and 25, 2025, as oe24 reported. In this process, which spanned a total of 168 days of negotiations and was preceded by seven years of investigative work, the focus was not only on Grasser, but also on his best man Walter Meischberger and the lobbyist Peter Hochegger.

The allegations in detail

Grasser was sentenced to eight years in prison, while Meischberger received seven years and Hochegger received six years. The process relates to the privatization of federal housing companies, in particular Buwog. Grasser was convicted in particular of breach of trust, falsifying evidence and illegally accepting gifts. Meischberger is accused of aiding and abetting and falsifying evidence, while Hochegger is in connection with bribes and commissions in this case. The accusation includes, among other things, hidden commission agreements amounting to 9.6 million euros, which are also said to have benefited Grasser the press reported.

The Grasser trial is one of the largest corruption trials in Austrian history. The long duration and complexity of the case raise questions about the efficiency of the justice system. Despite the seriousness of the allegations and the penalties already imposed, the accused are still presumed innocent until the Supreme Court makes a final decision. If there are delays, the hearing could be postponed to an alternative date between April 14th and 17th, which would further fuel expectations that the allegations will be clarified quickly.