Judgment in the Buwog process: Grasser stands before the court of fate!

Judgment in the Buwog process: Grasser stands before the court of fate!

The Supreme Court (OGH) does not publicly deal with the appeals of ex-finance minister Karl-Heinz Grasser and six other defendants in the Buwog process on March 24, 2025. The decision on the possible judgment, which could also include a prison sentence for Grasser, is expected on March 25, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. In view of the complexity of the cause, observers expect a detailed reasoning.

Grasser was sentenced to a prison sentence of eight years at the Vienna Criminal Court, after a guilty verdict for infidelity, acceptance of gifts and forgery of evidence. However, this decision is not yet final because Grasser has appealed against the judgment. His former business partners Walter Meischberger and Peter Hochegger as well as the ex-immofinance boss Karl Petrikovics are also complained about in the procedure.

Causa Buwog in focus

The Causa Buwog revolves around a real estate deal in which around 60,000 federal apartments were sold to a consortium around the immofinance for 961 million euros. The inferior bidder CA Immo had given an original offer price of only 1 million euros less. The investigation showed that Meischberger and Hochegger together received commissions of 9.6 million euros, which contributes to the serious allegations against Grasser.

Another aspect of the procedure is commission payments of 200,000 euros, which were made in the context of letting the tax authorities in the Linz Terminal Tower. According to the initial judgment, the accused must repay the commissions of almost 17 million euros to the Republic of Austria.

the rule of law and corruption in Austria

The Buwog affair also throws a shadow on the general rule of law in Austria. The Kreutner report, which arose in the course of the social discussion about political corruption and judicial reforms in Austria, deals with serious institutional weaknesses in the judicial system. The report emphasizes that political instructions in the Ministry of Justice affect the independence of the charges and calls for the creation of an independent Attorney General and a stronger supervision of the economic and corruption prosecutor.

A circumstance that also illustrates the concerned situation is the uncoveration of political pressure in criminal investigations that led to the death of the former high -ranking judicial officer Christian Pilnacek. His death has initiated an intensive debate about the transparency and independence of the judiciary. Reforms on the separation of judiciary and politics are increasingly urgent to minimize political influence on criminal proceedings.

The pronouncement of the judgment in the Buwog process could not only determine the future of Karl-Heinz Grasser, but also have far-reaching effects on trust in the Austrian judiciary. Now it remains to be seen which steps the judiciary and politics will take considering the current challenges.

like vienna.at and meinbezirk.at , there is a decision that could possibly complete the Buwog process for almost 16 years. The Kreutner report illuminates the deeper problems in the context of corruption and the rule of law in Austria and demands urgently needed reforms to meet European standards, as explained on constitutional blog.de