Abuse of office and breach of trust – these serious allegations against ÖVP greats from the Austrian Chamber of Commerce are currently under investigation by the Vienna public prosecutor’s office. Lawyer Manfred Arbacher-Stöger, who got the case rolling, is convinced that time in politics is numbered for WKO chairman Harald Mahrer, his secretary general, Karlheinz Kopf, and deputy secretary general Herwig Höllerer because of this ” very interesting issue”. . “I assume that sooner or later these three gentlemen will recognize that corruption has no place in politics,” the lawyer said in an interview with Krone.
It is about a special pension plan that the three of them signed in 2018 – although it has not existed since 2012. “A member of the National Council and about ten other people have been promised something like this,” explains Arbacher-Stöger. “I and my employees who worked on the deed consider that a very gross misconduct.”
‘These people knew exactly what they were doing’
In an official report, the suspect publicly stated that no further commitments had been made. “They have chosen exactly one year,” says the lawyer. In other years, when this was already banned, there were certainly promises. “These people knew exactly what they were doing,” Arbacher-Stöger is convinced.
Lawyer: Only part of the damage repaired
Part of the damage has been compensated, according to the lawyer. “But they forget one thing: you have an official function. And in the official position there is still abuse of office – you can’t make it up. up front. “I can also use evidence to show that this did not happen,” said the lawyer.
Lawyer expects dismissal “sooner or later”.
Given its recent past, the ÖVP would not do well in terms of corruption, according to Arbacher-Stöger. His clients demand full clarification across the party and the defendant’s resignation: “People who commit such crimes have no place in political office.” He is convinced that Mahrer, Kopf and Höllerer will also understand and resign ‘sooner or later’.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
