Lawyer Ramin M., the alleged financier of the Ibiza video, is being charged. The Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office has filed a criminal complaint for misuse of audio recording or listening equipment and for violating data protection law. In concrete terms, the second offense concerns “data processing with the intent to make a profit or cause damage”. The maximum sentence is one year.
The Viennese lawyer M., for whom the presumption of innocence applies, had already admitted his involvement in the Ibiza video more than three years ago shortly after the appearance of the Ibiza video. “It was a project motivated by civil society, which involved investigative journalistic paths,” it said at the time. The Persia-born lawyer argued at the time that he wanted to expose grievances.
“Against Strache and Gudenus”
The prosecutor’s office had previously investigated M. for cheating – “at the expense of Heinz-Christian Strache and Johann Gudenus”.
M. had introduced the alleged oligarch niece known from the video to ex-FPÖ club boss Gudenus. She had indicated that she wanted to buy a house from Gudenus. These proceedings have been discontinued by the public prosecutor, as have investigations into forgery.
Hessenthal in prison
Last week, the Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that the proceedings against the second mastermind behind the Ibiza video, Julian Hessenthaler, had been stopped. However, Hessenthaler is in prison: at the end of March he was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for cocaine trafficking. Before that, Hessenthaler had been in extradition custody in Germany since December 2020 and in Austria since March 2021. Both count towards his penalty. At the end of May, renewed investigations into Hessenthaler for a drug offense were announced.
Alleged oligarch niece goes unpunished
In the investigation of the alleged oligarch’s niece, there was a partial cessation of the charge of cheating. The rest of the process has been cut short: if the authorities catch the decoy, these parts can be resumed.
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.
