Twenty years after an alleged crime, five Austrians – a woman and four men between the ages of 54 and 63 – have been brought to justice in Vienna since Tuesday. They are said to have bribed former Romanian Prime Minister Adrian Nastase, among others, as part of a software licensing deal. There is also a charge of breach of trust, which can result in up to ten years in prison.
It takes place in Romania in the early 2000s: At the time, the Romanian government was using its computer software without the proper licenses. To change this situation, a contract must be concluded with a partner of the software company. Romania found what they were looking for at a company in Vienna, where the suspects were involved in various roles in the megabusiness.
About 14 million euros in “commissions”
The catch, according to the Viennese public prosecutor’s office: the decision-makers at the time demanded ‘commissions’, as they called the alleged bribes. “These ‘commissions’ were hidden in the sales price and later transferred to lobbyists and decision makers. The defendants knew that the decision-makers abused their powers and that the actions of the Romanian state caused significant damage,” the prosecutor said at the start of the trial in the Grand Jury Courtroom of the Vienna Regional Court.
In total, the bribes amount to around €14 million, which are said to have flowed, at least in part, to ex-Prime Minister Adrian Nastase and a number of his then ministers. The first of six planned trial days began on Tuesday. A corresponding number of deputy lay judges follow the hearing. You must be prepared for long days of negotiating.
The suspects are represented by well-known criminal lawyers, such as Rudolf Mayer and Harald Schuster. The law firm of Kurz lawyer Otto Dietrich is also represented: Markus Höcher represents the first accused entrepreneur.
Source: Krone
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