Ex-officials charged

Smuggling cell phones and alcohol into prison rooms

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(Bild: Tschepp Markus)

A prisoner with dozens of previous convictions is alleged to have done business with two now ex-law enforcement officers: This is according to an indictment from the Linz public prosecutor's office. Money apparently flowed for cell phones and alcohol.

A year and a half ago, the "Krone" reported on the case, now the Linz public prosecutor's office is bringing charges against two already dismissed prison guards (55, 35) and a prisoner (35) who is heavily in debt and already has 18 previous convictions: it is about corruption in prison, more precisely about cell phone and alcohol packages for money. According to the indictment, between December 2021 and August 2022, the two officers allegedly carried out several transactions with a co-accused Bosnian inmate.

In detail, it is mainly about smuggling cell phones and alcohol into the prison: according to the indictment, the 55-year-old procured five cell phones and two bottles of whiskey and collected 2,000 euros for them. The other ex-officer is even said to have met with an acquaintance of the criminal, made bank transfers and smuggled three bottles of vodka into his cell - for which he received more than 3,000 euros. They used code words for the packages. The 55-year-old is also alleged to have illegally accessed the judicial data of other prisoners.

The case was uncovered through an argument between inmates
The case was uncovered by another inmate who had fallen out with the accused criminal. The ex-law enforcement officers are accused of abuse of authority and bribery - as is the inmate as a designated offender. The two ex-officials are being represented by Salzburg lawyer Kurt Jelinek. A trial date has not yet been set.