Gun lobbyist Alfons Mensdorff-Pouilly was sentenced Monday to six months of three years’ probation before the Vienna regional court on charges of money laundering. He also has to pay 50,000 euros, which he would have received for the money flows. It was the second case against him in which he was charged with money laundering.
It was the second case against him in which he was charged with money laundering. In 2013, there was an acquittal and the prominent suspect also denied the accusation in the new trial.
“The court is the court, the decision is the decision,” Mensdorff-Pouilly said after announcing the verdict. “I don’t understand because I didn’t do anything.” Mensdorff-Pouilly told reporters he had not checked the origin of the money: “I didn’t think about it at all at the time”.
According to the indictment, Mensdorff-Pouilly is said to have moved the assets of a former division manager of the Eurofighter manufacturer EADS. As of March 2005, he is said to have transferred approximately EUR 93 million from EADS Deutschland GmbH (EADS-D) to Vector Aerospace LLP through false contracts. The bulk of this – namely €84 million – was allegedly endowed as “a slush fund for the pursuit of purposes beyond EADS-D’s legitimate business interests,” as stated in the indictment.
Two million euros would have ended up in the account of a company based in Vienna, which the Economic and Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (WKStA) attributes to Mensdorff-Pouilly’s sphere of influence. In 2006, EUR 300,000 of this amount went to a company in Budapest as ‘loan repayment’. The suspect is said to have arranged and personally received the cash withdrawal of the remaining 1.7 million euros. It is not yet clear where the money ended up.
‘Millions are a basket of money’
According to Mensdorff, the money came from his former business partner, the late investor Timothy “Tim” Landon. Money came “from here and there”. He passed on a large part of the amount, the lobbyist reported at the start of the trial. The recipients were also unknown to him. Mensdorff suspected it was an amount that wasn’t particularly exciting for those involved. “If you have many billions, millions are a basket of money.”
According to the judge, the minimum sentence of six months and a probation period of three years is sufficient “to deter you from such acts”.
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.
