“Security risk” – Wirecard lobbyist gained access to the most secret files

Early 2019: the turquoise blue government has not yet fallen, Kickl is still firmly in power and the raid on the BVT secret service was less than a year ago. The CSU politician Klaus-Dieter Fritsche, German intelligence coordinator from 2014 to 2018 and now retired, is hired by the Ministry of the Interior as an advisor. He should help reform the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and the Combating of Terrorism (BVT).

“Security check top secret”
As part of his contract, which ends at the beginning of February, regular train trips and hotels are organized for Fritsche – and he is given an office directly in the BVT, as can be seen from the emails available on krone.at. In addition, the “top secret security clearance form” should be sent to Fritsche, then-secretary general Peter Goldgruber wrote to an official. Strict secrecy is the highest of the four security levels in Austria. For example, the University Committee is mainly concerned with documents of level one and two.

The external advisor therefore had access to all – even the most secret – files of the Republic of Austria. At the time, Fritsche was not only a former German State Secretary, but also a lobbyist for the infamous financial services provider Wirecard. In September 2019, while his contract with the Ministry of the Interior was still running, a meeting organized by Fritsche took place at which he and a Wirecard manager officially briefed Merkel’s economic advisers on Wirecard’s business in the Far East.

“No doubt about reliability”
Already in 2020, Green politician David Stögmüller inquired about the contract with Fritsche. This was dissolved in November 2019 and the ex-coordinator of the secret service received a total compensation of approximately 72,000 euros, according to the response from the then Minister of the Interior Karl Nehammer (ÖVP). As for the security clearance, “no evidence was found of circumstances that would have cast doubt on Mr. Fritsche’s reliability,” the report said.

The Wirecard lobbyist’s access to classified files is highly questionable in light of the latest revelations about Vienna’s Jan Marsalek. The fugitive ex-banker is now apparently living in Russia under the identity of a priest – and is suspected of spying for the Kremlin. According to Austrian investigators, two former BVT officials allegedly leaked secrets on behalf of Marsalek and thereby sabotaged the secret service. In Germany, a link was also suspected between Wirecard actors and the Federal Intelligence Service.

“FPÖ endangers Austria’s security”
At the start of the U-Committee on “Red-Blue Abuse of Power”, NEOS faction leader Yannick Shetty discussed the issue. Such disclosure to an external consultant who is not even an Austrian citizen is an “extremely high security risk,” Shetty explains. “The FPÖ is not a party of neutrality, it endangers the security of Austria,” he sharply criticized the Freedom Party.

The MPs of the U Committee wanted to question Kickl’s ex-secretary general Goldgruber about this on Wednesday. However, when questioned he refused to make a statement. At Shetty’s request, Klaus-Dieter Fritsche himself was also invited as a person to the U-Committee to provide information. He already had to answer questions from the German commission about the Wirecard complex.