Austria’s former Finance Minister, Karl-Heinz Grasser, is awaiting a crucial court decision in one of the country’s biggest corruption cases. Grasser was sentenced in December 2020 to eight years in prison for breach of trust related to the 2004 privatization of 60,000 federal apartments, known as the Buwog affair. However, he has avoided serving his sentence for over four years by filing an appeal and nullity complaint.
Starting on March 20, Austria’s Supreme Court (OGH) will hold public hearings to review the appeal. The hearings, which could last until March 25, will take place in Vienna’s Palace of Justice.
The Buwog case has been ongoing for nearly two decades. Investigations began in 2007, and the trial started in December 2017. The court held 168 trial days before the initial verdict in December 2020. The written judgment, spanning 1,280 pages, was finalized in January 2022. Grasser’s defense team submitted the appeal in February 2023.
During the hearings, the judge will review the case’s history, and defense lawyers will argue their appeal. The General Prosecutor’s office will also share its view, and Grasser will have a final chance to speak.
Prosecutors claim that Grasser benefited from €9.6 million in secret payments during the privatization process. He also faced accusations of accepting kickbacks from office leasing deals for the Ministry of Finance. Grasser denies all charges, calling the original verdict unfair and politically motivated.
If the court rejects his appeal, Grasser will likely be ordered to start his prison sentence. If the court supports the appeal, parts of the trial could be repeated. This decision could finally bring an end to the long legal battle or extend it even further.
