Mafia Trial in Vienna: "Familiar from TV Shows"

The accused are a 39-year-old Montenegrin and a 50-year-old Serb, whom the prosecutor attributes to the feared Montenegrin Kavač clan, which operates across Europe and is also associated with murder attempts and shady dealings in Vienna.

The accused are alleged to have lured two Croatians, now aged 41 and 64, to Vienna in March 2020, along with other accomplices, and held them in a rented apartment. According to the indictment, the men were tied up, mistreated, and threatened with death to initially extort the younger man's father, and later the 64-year-old, into paying one million euros. The kidnapped men reportedly experienced mortal fear. In the apartment where the victims were lured, several people awaited them with "hand saws and pistols with silencers," according to the prosecutor. The entire room was lined with nylon. The prosecutor summarized the situation as: "Their worst nightmares come true."

Prosecution: "Known from TV series"

Right at the beginning, he outlined the danger posed by the Kavač clan. "There is drug trafficking on a massive scale." In addition, there are repeated attempts to eliminate members of the rival Serbian-Montenegrin Škaljari clan. "This is known from TV series and Italy in the 1980s, and something like this was also intended to be established in Vienna."

When the completely intimidated 64-year-old, who is believed to have made a living from large-scale cigarette smuggling, assured that he would pay at least 750,000 euros, the two men were released. Subsequently, everyone drove to Zagreb, where the handover was supposed to take place. "They drove separately because the victims were so battered in the face," which would have attracted additional attention due to the stricter exit regulations in place because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Moreover, the victims knew they had to comply with the deal. In Zagreb, 10,000 euros were eventually handed over.

The prosecutor did not expect much from today's questioning of the victims: "Just look at who is standing in here, who is standing at the door," he referred to the increased security measures and the threat the victims face should they incriminate the perpetrators. The central point, however, was the chats. His prediction was correct; during the Zoom questioning of the men connected from Croatia, both stated that they had never seen the two accused, were not in Vienna at the time of the crime, and had never been forcibly held in Vienna. One of the victims also did not recognize a photo of himself, severely battered.

Defense: "You are not convicting the Kavač clan"

Previously, the defense attorneys tried to divert the jury's attention from the numerous secured chats. "You are not convicting the Kavač clan today, you are not convicting the chats," said Mirsad Musliu, legal representative of the 39-year-old. He also identified errors in the translation. It was never about the father of one of the victims, but rather the 64-year-old - referred to as "Grandpa" in the chats, was meant. This is the crucial point, as it determines whether it is indeed an extortionate kidnapping. If no third person is involved, it is considered unlawful detention with bodily harm, carrying a sentence of one to ten years, instead of ten to twenty years.

The defense attorney for the second accused was more brief. "There are no victims. These victims are perpetrators in another case." However, his client was a case of mistaken identity. "He was not involved. The first name is one that is common on every corner in Croatia." There could be no mistake regarding the victims, however. The prosecution claimed that the younger victim was chosen because they thought he was very wealthy, which was not the case. "A clan that is so dangerous does not make mistakes," was the defense's argument.

Afterwards, an investigating control inspector was also questioned. He ruled out a case of mistaken identity of the accused, as there were numerous voice messages from him. He described how the chats could prove that several perpetrators were on site in both Vienna and Zagreb. The 50-year-old was present during the abuse in Vienna, while the 39-year-old was ready in Zagreb for the money handover. Initially, the perpetrators thought that the younger victim was the son of a millionaire. When he did not give in after more than five hours of deprivation of liberty and torture, they moved on to the older victim to end the action with "something positive."

"When we consider the initial situation, it is of course incredibly little (the 10,000 euros they supposedly received, note)," said the inspector. However, the extortionate kidnapping was a given. Because the action ultimately cost more than it brought in, one of the leading figures of the action eventually came under pressure. Out of a desire for revenge, he contacted the second accused to get information about the victims. However, he only said, "I don't keep any evidence."

Cross-border Investigations

The accused were identified after cross-border investigations, in which, in addition to the Federal Criminal Police Office, Serbian and Croatian police authorities were involved. After their arrest and transfer to Vienna, the accused exercised their right to remain silent and have not commented on the allegations against them since. Today, they pleaded not guilty, otherwise they again refused to testify. They are incriminated by the communication they had with supposedly secure crypto phones with other gang members before, during, and after the incriminated acts.

The encrypted Sky-ECC mobile phones were secured during investigations against the Kavač clan. The chats ran over a server in France, which could be cracked in a cooperation of police authorities in Belgium, the Netherlands, and France. Subsequently, the chats could be decrypted with the help of the FBI, leading to the uncovering of the criminal acts now under trial.

"There are no normal business people who use these mobile phones. They are exclusively used by criminals, at most relatives of criminals," the inspector described. Due to the supposed encryption, everyone felt secure. "If they don't soon disclose where the money is, then we will probably have to start sawing," was one of the chats. Both the perpetrators and the supposed victims communicated with these mobile phones. Before everyone drove back to Zagreb, the two victims got their phones back, and communication continued on the way.

Verdict Probably Not Before October

The trial is likely to continue no earlier than mid-October. Then an investigator who was on vacation today is to be questioned. Additionally, the prosecution has requested an acoustic report to compare the voice messages with the voices of the accused. The defense wants to question the total of around 15 accomplices - or at least those who are available. One is in pre-trial detention in Vienna like the accused, another in Germany. The others are being sought.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.