Abuse of authority charge

Police officer (29) with a gambling addiction pocketed fines

The police officer will have to answer to the Leoben Regional Court on Wednesday.

(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

The damage is not great, but the consequences are serious: a Styrian police officer pocketed fines to pay off his gambling debts. He was charged.

He is deeply remorseful and immediately made amends after his criminal history was exposed. However, a Styrian police officer will not be spared a trial at the regional court in Leoben; the public prosecutor's office in Leoben has brought charges against him. Among other things, he is accused of abuse of office and corruption. The reason: 412 tempting euros. 

Falsified payment confirmation
The case history: A woman was fined exactly this amount as an administrative penalty by the Grieskirchen district authority in Upper Austria. She wanted to pay the fine immediately in cash at a Styrian police station. At the police station, she was met by the officer now on trial. He took the money and issued her with a payment receipt. 

The police are of course aware of the case. The officer concerned has been suspended and disciplinary proceedings are also underway.

Fritz Grundnig, LPD-Pressesprecher

The fact that this confirmation was forged was discovered a few weeks later. The victim received another letter from the authorities. The 412 euro fine had now become 445 euros, as the amount had not yet been paid. Naturally, the woman did not put up with this and made inquiries.

Once the investigation was underway, it became clear that the police officer from whom she thought she had paid the fine had simply put the money in his own pocket! But why? 

Money problems due to gambling addiction
It was a stupid spontaneous action, he had wanted to take advantage of the situation because he had money problems. His salary had been garnished for a while because he had debts due to his gambling addiction. And his income has also been drastically reduced recently. This is because "he is suspended, and disciplinary proceedings are of course also underway," confirmed police press spokesman Fritz Grundnig in response to an inquiry from Krone.