Prosecutor's Office Innsbruck Discontinued Majority of Investigations Against Former Minister Brandstetter
Former ÖVP Justice Minister Wolfgang Brandstetter was investigated, among other things, on suspicion of breach of official secrecy and abuse of office during his time as minister. However, the investigations into false testimony before the ÖVP investigation committee were separated, according to the Innsbruck public prosecutor's office on Thursday.
Investigations into Abuse of Office and Breach of Official Secrecy Against Former Minister Brandstetter Dropped
A decision is still pending in this regard, and this will be "handled separately," said public prosecutor's office spokesman Hansjörg Mayr to the APA. The accusation of false testimony before the investigation committee concerns Brandstetter's statement that he could not hand over his private mobile phone on February 25, 2021, during the execution of a seizure order by the Vienna public prosecutor's office because he did not have it with him but at home.
All other allegations, however, were off the table. "No sufficient evidence was found," it was said. Brandstetter was investigated on suspicion of breach of official secrecy because he allegedly incited the now-deceased Justice Section Chief Christian Pilnacek to reveal a house search at entrepreneur Michael Tojner's premises. Brandstetter was then acting as Tojner's lawyer. Another allegation of abuse of office concerned a position appointment during Brandstetter's tenure as Justice Minister from 2013 to 2017. The now 67-year-old was suspected of having improperly influenced personnel decisions and conducted contract awards unlawfully. Through statements in a newspaper article, he was also accused of committing the offense of defamation to the detriment of a ministerial official, an accusation that now apparently turned out to be incorrect.
The case attracted attention because prosecutors even sought official assistance from the Constitutional Court (VfGH) in early 2021 to secure Brandstetter's electronic devices. Brandstetter was then temporarily (from 2018 to 2021) a constitutional judge but vacated this position after chats with Pilnacek became known, in which they exchanged views on supreme court decisions and Pilnacek made derogatory remarks towards VfGH members. The Innsbruck public prosecutor's office's project report in the case had already been submitted to the senior public prosecutor's office in January 2024. It was then handled in the Ministry of Justice or the Instruction Council and subsequently returned to Innsbruck.
(APA/Red)
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