The fact that officials were investigated on suspicion of abuse of office, who shared the legal opinion of Grasser’s representatives, made him “very concerned”, according to a broadcast on Tuesday. In addition, the process was accompanied by “media prejudice”.
Originally, the investigation was against eight suspects (six people and two associations). Four people had been investigated on suspicion of abuse of office, partly also because of contribution to tax evasion, in connection with a possible bias of employees of the tax authorities working in the case. The relevant procedures have been discontinued.
The submission of the indictment in December 2021 was still a “sad highlight”. Now the lay judges have proven their innocence in the subsequent proceedings and have formed a “free” and “independent” judgment. Grasser paid all taxes due in Austria correctly, and the disclosure to the tax authorities was also correct. A criminal misconduct can thus be ruled out, it said in the statement from his lawyer.
“The (massively negative) media reporting was enormous,” Grasser judged according to the broadcast. The acquittal, however, pleases him and he is very confident “that in the so-called Buwog appeal proceedings, primarily the objectifiable and, above all, the legal arguments will also be of relevance.” In the Buwog trial at the end of 2020, the former top politician was not legally sentenced to several years in prison in the first instance. His lawyers appealed.
Source: Nachrichten
