34 Million Euros: Karl-Heinz Grasser and His Debts to the Republic
The former Finance Minister Karl-Heinz Grasser (FPÖ, then ÖVP) is sitting on a debt mountain of 34 million euros. 8.5 million euros of this is owed to the tax authorities alone. In addition, as reported on Tuesday, there are tax debts for the commission from the BUWOG privatization and compensation payments to the state. He now has to agree on a debt quota with them; in his private insolvency, the ex-minister has offered a quota of three percent.
"Many Open Questions": Unclear Money Flows of Grasser
Furthermore, there are outstanding fees for lawyers as well as unpaid credit card bills and small amounts, such as for gas bills. And there are still many open questions, reported the "Ö1 Morgenjournal" on Wednesday. For instance, the now imprisoned Grasser received one million euros from a foundation in 2017 and passed it on as a loan to a German real estate group - at an interest rate of 16 percent. The question now is where the profit from this ended up. Credit protectors do not expect a quick resolution.
Electronic Tag May Not Be Sufficient
Currently, the Economic and Corruption Prosecutor's Office (WKStA) is conducting an investigation against the former rising star of the ÖVP/FPÖ government under then-Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel. It concerns the suspicion of tax evasion in the BUWOG commission. At that time, 9.8 million euros flowed to Grasser and two other individuals. According to the news magazine "Dossier," the accused face penalties amounting to twice the amount of the tax shortfall - as well as prison sentences of up to four years. A conviction to another prison sentence could thwart Grasser's plan to largely serve his sentence with an electronic tag.
At the beginning of May this year, Grasser's private bankruptcy was opened. A review meeting scheduled for August at the district court in Kitzbühel was canceled again. The insolvency administrator had to conduct further examinations, it was said at the time.
3 Months in Prison and Much Turmoil
Grasser was the Finance Minister of the Republic from 2000 to 2007, during which time numerous privatizations and the purchase of the controversial Eurofighter took place. After years of investigations by the judiciary, numerous objections from Grasser's lawyers, and a lengthy court case, Grasser was sentenced to four years in prison by the Supreme Court (OGH) on March 25, 2025. On June 2, Grasser then began his sentence at the Innsbruck correctional facility - immediately causing a media stir. In mid-July, he was spotted having lunch with his wife in a bar at Lake Wörthersee. The leave was legally covered, the decision was up to the prison director, the Ministry of Justice emphasized at the time. Grasser himself continued to assert his innocence even after the final conviction.
(APA/Red)
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