Grasser after a luxury vacation on Capri: Start of detention in Innsbruck!

Grasser after a luxury vacation on Capri: Start of detention in Innsbruck!

Innsbruck, Österreich - On June 2, 2025, Karl-Heinz Grasser, former finance minister in Austria, competed in his four-year prison sentence in the Innsbruck prison. This happened shortly after a luxurious vacation on the Italian island of Capri with his wife Fiona Swarovski. Grasser entered the prison shortly before 1 p.m. Although there was no official confirmation of his inaccurate, the details of several media were reported, including 5min.at.

The conviction of Grassers is related to the so-called Buwog affair, one of the greatest corruption scandals in Austria. He was convicted of infidelity and acceptance by civil servant in December 2020, and the judgment became final in March 2023. The Supreme Court (OGH) confirmed the judgment and reduced Grasser's original punishment from eight years to four years. In this affair it is claimed that the Republic of Austria has caused damage of up to one billion euros, as the Green politician Gabriela Moser noted.

Details on the Buwog affair

The BUWOG affair includes possible unfaithfulness, illegal agreements and commission payments that were carried out by Grasser during the privatization of 60,000 federal apartments. Grasser himself denied that he knew about the payments, while former employees described the deal as a "broken game". Significant allegations against him include abuse of the authority and violation of the official secrecy. According to reports, the consortium for immofinance for privatization received 961.2 million euros, which significantly exceeded costs that were achieved in individual sales.

In addition, it was announced that Grasser had a vacation trip finished on the Seychelles of Walter Meischberger in 2004, which took place shortly before the controversial sales. The affair was randomly discovered in September 2009 while investigating the bankruptcy of Constantia Privatbank. Investigations in this matter went for a long time and there were several raids, including in Liechtenstein. The trial against Grasser and several co -accused began on December 12, 2017.

Current developments and co -accused

On December 4, 2020, the judgments were initially announced; Grasser received eight years in prison. However, he made nullity complaint and appeal, and the general power of attorney recommended in May 2024 to confirm the allegations of infidelity. In March 2025, the OGH confirmed the debt, but reduced the sentence for Grass to four years. For health reasons, the co-accused Walter Meischberger and Peter Hochegger have been requested for health reasons, which are currently being checked by medical experts, according to meinziKirk.at.

The extensive history of the BUWOG affair and the associated negotiations have severely shaked public trust in the political institutions. Grasser remains a polarizing figure in Austrian politics.

For further information on the Buwog affair, also visit Wikipedia.