Buwog process: The OGH judgment decides on the fate of Grasser!

Buwog process: The OGH judgment decides on the fate of Grasser!

An exciting chapter in the sensational causa buwog is imminent: The Supreme Court (OGH) will check the appeals of top-class defendants such as the former finance minister Karl-Heinz Grasser and his co-accused Walter Meischberger, a lobbyist, as well as Peter Hochegger, from March 20, 2025. The negotiation dates are scheduled until March 25, and the Palace of Justice in Vienna was reserved for this period to ensure a smooth process, even if no new evidence is presented.
In the first instance, the accused were sentenced to high prison terms: Grasser received eight years, Meischberger seven years and Hochegger for six years. The allegations contain infidelity, forgery of evidence and the assumption of illegal gifts in connection with the controversial privatization of federal housing companies during Grasser's term. According to the report of the standard will negotiate the appeals and nullity complaints in two main dates, whereby the defenders were given a few days of time, To present concerns about the scheduled appointments. In exceptional cases, Holy Week could act as an alternative negotiation date.

procedure and arguments of defense

The rapporteur of the five-judge Senate will summarize the previous course of the procedure. The defenders will present their arguments against the convictions, which were pronounced in 2020 in the first instance. The general power of attorney has already recommended that the debt saying to be updated for infidelity, but to remove them for bribes, as Kosmo . Grasser described the judgment as a "smooth misjudgment" and politically motivated, while Meischberger has questioned the judge's bias. At the beginning of the trial, Hochegger made a partial confession, which could be crucial for his defense. The general practice plays a central role in this procedure, since its recommendations are often decisive for the decision of the OGH.