Economic Federation: Shock judgment for Vorarlberg's top politician!

Economic Federation: Shock judgment for Vorarlberg's top politician!

Feldkirch, Österreich - On Tuesday, the four defendants of the Vorarlberg “Economic Association” at the Feldkirch Regional Court were guilty. Among them also the former state governor Karlheinz Rüdisser (ÖVP). The judge found that they were guilty of accepting benefits. The fines for the accused amount to 27,500 euros for Rüdisser, 15,000 euros for Hans Peter Metzler, 13,500 euros for Jürgen Kessler and 10,000 euros for Walter Natter, with half of the amounts to be suspended for three years. A crucial factor for the judgment was the payment of Christmas dinner that took place between 2013 and 2019 and the organization of the Economic Association, as reported.

allegation of dependency

The allegations of the Economic and Corruption Prosecutor (WKStA) referred to a total of six Christmas dinner, the costs of which added to 12,980 euros. These events are said to have created a dependency relationship that questions the integrity of Rüdisser's office. The judge said that it was not about the intent of the accused, but that the financing creates an inadmissible advantage, which met the criminal offense. Despite this assessment, they were acquitted in relation to the allegation of infidelity, such as 5min

Rüdisser himself argued that the tradition of Christmas dinner was already introduced during his term and that the decisions on financing by the Economic Association were lawful. His defenders pointed out that he had actively represented the interests of the Economic Association. However, the judge rejected this reasoning and emphasized that such an approval as an acceptance of benefits could not be accepted in order to protect the integrity of public office.