A retired lawyer embezzled more than €300,000 from an escrow account he managed for the heirs of a deceased woman. He had to answer to the Vienna regional court on Thursday.
“You have been blameless for 70 years,” said Judge Alfred Hebenstreit-Weinauer, explaining the lay judges’ relatively lenient verdict. It was the culmination of a trial in which, above all, a lawyer switched sides – and not as a lawyer, but as a defendant. He used the broker of the estate account of the deceased Herta S., which he managed for her heirs.
Heirs demanded payment
Despite repeated requests, the heirs have not received their money. Most recently, the suspect assured them of the transfer in June 2022. But he did not keep his promise. Like? The now retired and insolvent lawyer had long since emptied the account with the 327,651 euros.
When pronouncing a judgment on the side of the defence
“I’m ashamed,” the man represented by law firm Astrid Wagner makes a deeply remorseful confession. He states that he acted out of financial distress. Stoically, the pensioner accepted the 24 months conditionally and the public prosecutor also waived an appeal.
The dock remained empty during the verdict. Instead, the ex-lawyer took a seat next to his lawyer. The other side of the courtroom isn’t the one he wants to land on again.
Source: Krone
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