Grasser trial: OGH reduces sentence and announces ECHR complaint!

Grasser trial: OGH reduces sentence and announces ECHR complaint!

On March 25, 2025, the Supreme Court (OGH) ruled on the illegality of the previous judgments in the long-awaited corruption trial against former Finance Minister Karl-Heinz Grasser and other defendants. In a dramatic turnaround, Grasser's prison sentence was reduced from the original eight years to four years. This decision marks an important moment in a complex case concerning the privatization of the federal housing companies in 2004, in which a bribe of 9.6 million euros is said to have been paid, as [Die Presse](https://www.diepresse.com/19492268/vier-jahre-haft-fuer-grasser-ex-minister-ortet- Fehljudgment-und-kuendigt-egmr-beschwerde-an) reports.

The written judgments have now been sent electronically to the defense attorneys and affected parties. Walter Meischberger, the former general secretary of the FPÖ, had his sentence reduced from seven to three and a half years, while Peter Hochegger, a former lobbyist, received an additional prison sentence from six to three years (of which two years were conditional). Karl Petrikovics, the former head of Immofinanz, has to be imprisoned for twelve months, which is a reduction of two years. Georg Starzer, board member of RLB-Oberösterreich, was sentenced to 20 months conditionally.

Legally valid judgment decision and announcement of a complaint

The Supreme Court clarified that the four-week period for the start of the sentence begins from the delivery of the request by the Vienna Criminal Regional Court. The verdicts are final and those affected will now be asked to begin serving their sentences as soon as possible. However, Grasser and Meischberger have announced that they will appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), with Grasser calling the ruling a “miscarriage of justice”. The ECHR cannot stop the detention, but could find a violation of the European Convention on Human Rights, which could prolong the duration of the proceedings.

Christa Hetlinger, the chairwoman of the Senate, also emphasized that the reduction in the sentence was not a trivialization. Given the deficiencies in the defense and the allegations of bias, the complaints were dismissed. Reference was also made to the long duration of the proceedings, which was cited as a mitigating reason for the sentence being reduced.

Context: corruption and human rights

The corruption allegations leveled against Grasser and other political figures go beyond individual crimes and raise more fundamental questions about trust in Austria's political integrity. According to Amnesty International, there is a direct connection between the misuse of public funds and the endangerment of human rights. These practices are suspected of undermining the integrity of government operations and undermining public trust.

For example, politicians are accused of using tax money to finance private interests. Entrepreneurs, including Siegfried Wolf, avoided tax audits through bribes. This not only represents a breach of public fiduciary duty, but also jeopardizes the financial foundations on which public services are based. These corruption scandals cast a shadow over the political system and require comprehensive reforms to protect citizens' rights.