A detective produced a hot off the press report that the betting profits from fraud may be significantly higher than originally suggested in the indictment. The accused are said to have used dozens of accounts in order to avoid the maximum bet limits. The report presented by the detective is explosive because it initially only analyzed the payment flows at a single betting provider. According to this, some of the accused are said to have achieved a net profit of 32,000 euros (minus the stake, note) in a friendly match alone. However, it has been proven that many other betting providers have also placed bets. However, these payment flows must first be examined, the investigator said.
According to the new findings, the accused not only bet with accounts in their own names, but also used numerous third-party accounts. The investigator calculated that there were 90 to 100 accounts for the submerged mastermind and his son.
The detective brought this first report on the cash flows at a single betting provider to his witness interview and therefore only presented it on Tuesday. The defense attorneys were surprised and wanted to prevent the content from being read out. However, since the investigator assured that the 19 accused games were involved and that the exact amount of damage could also be determined, judge Erik Nauta began reading the investigator’s report, which was several pages long, at noon.
The new findings could confirm what prosecutor Hansjörg Bacher had announced in his opening statement on Monday: the numbers in the present indictment are only the “tip of the iceberg”. The detective agreed to also check the payment flows at other bookmakers. However, this could take weeks or even longer. He also spoke of other games that may have been rigged. The investigations have not been completed.
Incidentally, the suspects were blown up by a whistleblower who probably came from Asia. He informed the police by e-mail that an “Austro-Slovenian-Hungarian group of criminals” had formed who were manipulating football games in Europe. In further messages, the informant also sent audio files from the submerged mastermind – nicknamed “Joschi”. They show how he speaks of “good players” in matches that can apparently be used to manipulate. According to the secured chats, wagers could be 40,000 euros or more. The “payment” for the manipulating players was sometimes several thousand euros.
A total of twelve suspects have been on trial in Graz since Monday. Together with three other suspects, some of whom went into hiding and did not appear at the trial, they are said to have manipulated and bet on 19 games between March 2019 and September 2021. Players in the East Regional League are particularly affected, but also matches in the Vienna League and the Burgenland League, an ÖFB Cup game and a friendly game. Most of the accused have so far largely confessed, but some have also denied their involvement. The trial will continue on Wednesday and Monday and Tuesday next week.
Source: Nachrichten
