The Vienna Higher Regional Court (OLG) has rejected a request from Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) to drop the investigation into the Cobra affair involving two bodyguards. These are anonymous allegations of abuse of office or involvement in it.
The cause revolves around two Cobra officials who allegedly caused an accident with body damage in the spring of 2022 after being drunk with the chancellor’s wife. In a parliamentary inquiry, the SPÖ published an anonymous letter from an alleged Cobra insider, which also raised allegations that the chancellor could have intervened in the case to cover up the trials – which Nehammer himself rejected as untrue.
The following authority rejects the application
According to the Ö1 “Journal at eight”, Nehammer had already requested in January that the investigation be stopped, which the regional court of Korneuburg had rejected. The Vienna Higher Regional Court has now also rejected this. Until investigations are completed, the court can only stop them “if it can be assumed with certainty that criminal behavior does not exist or if the alleged behavior is not criminal at all,” said OLG spokesman Reinhard Hinger.
Nehammer lawyer confident
Still, Nehammer’s attorney, Oliver Scherbaum, was not angry – and at least pleased with the content. In its decision, the Higher Regional Court also stated that only one person should be heard to rule out suspicion. This interrogation has now been carried out and Nehammer has relieved – according to Ö1 it should be Cobra director Bernhard Treibenreif. Scherbaum therefore expects the public prosecutor of Korneuburg to stop the investigation soon. He wants to examine the statement and then decide whether the case can be closed or whether further investigation is necessary, the ‘Journal at eight’ quoted a spokesman as saying.
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.