Grasser remains at large: OGH delay causes a stir!

Grasser remains at large: OGH delay causes a stir!

Österreich - ex-finance minister Karl-Heinz Grasser continues to be released, although he was sentenced to four years in prison in the Buwog-Causa by the Supreme Court (OGH). This judgment, which was announced on March 25, 2025, made headlines due to a missed period of the OGH. The original sentence of eight years has been reduced to four years, which, according to the judges, is due to the "exorbitant long procedure duration" of almost 16 years. The written judgment, which is necessary for the copy and thus the beginning of the detention period, has not been delivered to this day.

The OGH justified the halving of the punishment with the long duration of the procedure, which was classified as disproportionate. 5min reports that Grasser and also Walter Meischberger, the former FPÖ general secretary, are waiting for the delivery of the judgment. Meischberger was sentenced to three and a half years in prison due to his involvement in the Buwog process. Meischberger's lawyer criticized the delays and pointed out that there are no consequences for the exceeding of the period.

Details about Buwog-Causa

The Buwog-Causa is one of the greatest corruption cases in the second Republic of Austria and was considered particularly lengthy by the courts. Puls24 that Grasser was originally sentenced to a prison sentence of eight years in 2020. The judgments of infidelity and acceptance were confirmed, while the judgment has now been canceled for falsification of evidence. Grasser plans to assert his innocence at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Nevertheless, his start of prison remains incalculable due to the outstanding written judgment.

insight into the judicial system

The Kreutner report not only addresses the specific processes in the Grasser case, but also indicates far-reaching problems in the Austrian judicial system. The report, which was created in the context of political corruption affairs, including the "Ibiza affair", states serious weaknesses. Constitutional blog describes that there is a discussion about reforms that require a separation of justice and politics to ensure transparency and fairness in criminal investigations.

The leadership styles and political instructions in the Ministry of Justice have been shown to have an impact on accusations of what the questions of the rule of law and equal treatment raises before the law. In a system that may be described as a "two-class judiciary", reforms are urgently necessary to meet the high European standards. The Kreutner report therefore not only calls for national measures, but also an exchange of European solutions to strengthen the rule of law.