Austria’s Interior Ministry has filed a criminal complaint against a now-retired employee suspected of leaking sensitive data belonging to 36,368 ministry staff members, according to Die Presse. The ministry confirmed the move on Monday following a report by the weekly magazine Falter.
The data set was discovered on a USB drive in the possession of former Freedom Party (FPÖ) politician Hans-Jörg Jenewein. The case has drawn renewed attention as prosecutors continue to investigate Egisto Ott, a former intelligence officer.
An internal investigative unit within the ministry, known as “AG Fama,” found that the retired employee, who had served as a staff representative, had requested access to the sensitive personnel data. Authorities now fear that the information may have reached Russian intelligence services. However, how the data ended up with Jenewein remains unclear. Earlier investigations involving both the employee and Jenewein were dropped due to a lack of evidence, according to the Vienna public prosecutor’s office.
At the time, the employee was investigated on suspicion of violating official secrecy laws, while Jenewein faced allegations of misusing data for harmful or personal gain. Prosecutors said Jenewein had shared the data via a messaging service with another FPÖ staff member. That case was also closed, partly because the statute of limitations had expired.
New evidence has since prompted authorities to reopen parts of the investigation, this time focusing on Ott. Prosecutors believe he may have acted as a link between the ministry employee and Jenewein. Reports suggest Ott arranged a meeting with the employee shortly after she obtained the full electronic personnel directory.
In an official report, the Federal Criminal Police described the employee as a “relevant source of information” for Ott, further deepening concerns about how widely the sensitive data may have spread.
