Card gifts: No charges against Innsbruck mayor

A WKStA spokesman told APA that no evidence had been provided of a connection between the handover of the leisure cards and a specific official business. Anzengruber was relieved.

“A brutal burden”

The case was discontinued on July 10th for reasons of evidence, it was reported. “I am glad that this is over and that the rule of law has prevailed,” said Anzengruber in response. Although he has always advocated transparency and clarification, the allegations were at times “a brutal burden.” The mayor, however, criticized the “political and tactical games” surrounding the case, which had led to his being voted out of office as deputy mayor at the time.

In the spring, in the run-up to the Innsbruck municipal council and mayoral elections, Anzengruber had already expressed his conviction that there was “nothing” to the story. Even if he were charged, he would not consider drawing political consequences, he said. In the run-off election, Anzengruber ultimately prevailed against incumbent Georg Willi (Greens) and became the new mayor.

1,100 experience cards distributed

At the end of last year, the Economic and Corruption Prosecutor’s Office began investigations against the then ÖVP deputy mayor of Innsbruck and another person after the case was handed over to them by the Innsbruck Public Prosecutor’s Office. Anzengruber had distributed around 1,100 so-called “Tirol Experience Cards” from the company digital solutions GmbH, which offer various discounts for leisure activities in Tyrol, to members of the Innsbruck fire brigade and the staff of a nursing home. Other emergency services and all around 1,400 employees of the Innsbruck social services were also given these cards.

The former city vice-mayor saw nothing wrong with this, on the contrary. He welcomed the investigations and stressed that he had only acted as an intermediary and that the tickets had not been given to the city or to him personally. In an accompanying letter to some of the recipients, however, the vice-mayor was quoted as saying the following, which cast doubt on his role as an intermediary: “I am happy to give you a ticket with which you can experience the many different sporting, culinary, tourist and cultural adventures until the end of the year.”

App business in the focus of investigators

In addition, business deals between the then Anzengruber department and the company were in focus. According to the city of Innsbruck, there were “not insignificant business relationships”. The company had developed an app for the city. In total, orders for app modules totaling 47,000 euros were placed with the company, but the individual invoices remained below the 25,000 euros limit required by the city senate, the city referred to a survey by the municipal administration. Although the city of Innsbruck is listed as the responsible party in the app, the application was not known to the offices responsible for data protection, personnel development and citizen services. Because an audit revealed deficiencies with regard to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the app was taken offline.