Next crime thriller in the culture industry: Pianist Florian Krumpöck and his wife were accused of serious fraud. On Thursday they had to answer to Judge Corinna Huber at the Vienna Regional Court. You see yourself as the victim of a large-scale intrigue: acquittal!
Large-scale fraud or intrigue? This question was raised in the trial against the director of the Kultur.Sommer.Semmering festival. The well-known pianist Florian Krumpöck and his wife are being prosecuted for serious commercial fraud. According to the prosecutor’s office, as those responsible for the “Kultur.Sommer.Semmering” association, they had “tempted employees of the state of Lower Austria into paying infrastructure subsidies by repeatedly submitting incorrect, excessive invoices”. In the years 2019 to 2021, this is about 27,750 euros.
The owner’s representative wanted invoices paid in cash
Specifically, the disputed invoices are issued by the owner’s representative. According to the public prosecutor, these should have been overestimated by 50 percent. What the defendant, who pleaded not guilty, vehemently denied: “He was our only point of contact and all decisions concerning the Südbahnhotel had to go through him,” Krumpöck stated at the beginning of his interrogation. The man is also said to have interfered massively with the festival business: “We depended on him.”
In 2018, the intermediary Krumpöck offered to provide the necessary infrastructure services for the festival and to issue collective invoices for this, which he wanted to be paid in cash. As director of the association, Krumpöck’s wife was responsible for the details, Krumpöck for the rough work. According to lawyer Martin Nemec, it is about making the stages playable, such as the chairs, furniture and stage technology: “The real estate representative offered to coordinate all this, right down to the traffic and safety concept,” says the musician.
“Cut power cables”
It all started with being evicted from the Südbahnhotel after the transfer of ownership. The “new” wanted to create his own festival. “But the moment it became clear that we wanted to set up a festival of a similar size in the neighboring Hotel Panhans, things happened that I never thought possible in the Austrian cultural sector,” Krumpöck considers himself the victim of a large-scale intrigue.
Acquittal for both suspects
His lawyer also agrees: “It was very strange. There were acts of sabotage, such as cutting power cables. There has also been a report.” According to the defender, the trial is not only about criminal relevance, but also about the good name, good name and economic future of his client. Around 2.30 pm the time had come: acquittal for both suspects!
“What has happened in my life, from car burglaries, unfounded advertisements, trash campaigns and espionage activities around our Vienna office, is reminiscent of a Netflix script. Thank God the Kultur.Sommer.Semmering is now so well established that it can withstand such setbacks,” said Krumpöck, visibly relieved after the verdict was announced.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
