EADS manager praises accused lobbyists: “Without them, the Eurofighter contract would not have come about.” Due to headwinds from Carinthia …
Now he’s been dead for almost 14 years – and you still can’t get past him. At least not in court. Carinthia’s ex-Governor Jörg Haider is at the center of a Eurofighter procurement process, in which a certain “Dr. Laider” appears in calendar entries. Namely in the agenda of two former lobbyists now on trial in Vienna who are accused by the Public Prosecution Service and the Public Prosecutor for Corruption of founding a front company in London. Eurofighter money, almost eight million euros, flowed through ‘City Chambers’. for what? “For nothing,” says senior prosecutor Beatrix Winkler.
A high-ranking group manager of the manufacturer EADS strongly denies this as a witness. The money was simply the commission for the contract that was made between Austria and EADS – and this contract would hardly have existed without the accused. Because there was Jörg Haider, “an influential man in the Austrian government, even though you knew that Haider’s political opinion could change very quickly”. And: Haider was an outspoken opponent of the purchase of Eurofighter in 2003. At that time, the government still wore the colors black and blue…
Special Austrian or international custom?
Anyway, the EADS manager praises the lobbyists’ performance beyond the green clover: “It was an impeccable job, they delivered!” Well, now what? “To make the contract possible at all. The commission only came to us after Austria made the payments.” And above all, the prime suspect ex-lobbyist, now 75 and retired, really deserved it.
But how do the millions and the current private bankruptcy of the main defendant fit together, examining magistrate Georg Olschak doubts: “Is that an Austrian specific or international custom to spend such sums on lobbying?” – “Oh, that goes even higher,” is the laconic reply of the manager. “According to the contract, it was not transferred to him until the money came from Austria.” – “Or to Bärental,” says Mr. Rat, referring to the great estate of Haider in Carinthia…
Treaty Constructions and the Secret Service
“The contracts are structured in such a way that in the end no one is responsible”, chief judge Christian Böhm sighs and wants to know about the reporting obligations of the lobbyists. That’s where the French Secret Service comes in. The manager: “We are trained. Nothing in writing, no phone calls, just verbal. We have competitors from the US.”
adjourned. “KH Lasser” (calendar entry) will have to testify, easily recognizable as ex-minister of finance. It’s about the statute of limitations.
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.
