Extortion of protection money

Justice too slow: Rockers released after complaint

A member of the feared motorcycle rockers

(Bild: © Elmar Gubisch)

Two feared Hells Angels rockers, who are facing extensive charges in Vienna, including racketeering, were surprisingly released from custody after ten months, as the "Krone" has learned. The reason for this is remarkable.

Two meters tall, well-trained, numerous impressive tattoos: Nobody in the prison in Vienna's Josefstadt district wanted to mess with the member of the Hells Angels motorcycle rocker club, which is banned in his native Germany. His alleged victims are also very frightened.  

Main hearing was too long in coming
And the following information will not alleviate this. The Hells Angels man and his no less frightening partner have now been released from custody. The reason for this is remarkable. The men were released because the authorities did not comply with the requirement to expedite proceedings. In other words, the proceedings were delayed and the main trial took too long.  

"Proceedings in which an accused is held in custody must be conducted with particular speed. Every accused person in custody shall be entitled to the earliest possible judgment or release during the proceedings," states the Code of Criminal Procedure. In addition, all authorities involved in criminal proceedings are obliged to ensure that detention lasts as short a time as possible.

Brutal extortion of protection money in Upper Austria
According to the Vienna Higher Regional Court, this was not the case in this spectacular case, which involved criminal association, extortion, grievous bodily harm and drug trafficking, among other things. The case focuses on an alleged extortion of protection money in September 2023 in a nightclub in Upper Austria. At around two o'clock in the morning, the group gathered in the area of the disc jockey, who was then brutally beaten up. The bar manager, who had previously been surrounded, was then attacked. As the victim lay unconscious on the ground, he was allegedly kicked by at least four Hells Angels.

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The giant and other members of the rocker group had been in custody since October 2023. "In view of the fact that the legal validity of the indictment in question was already established on April 4, 2024 and the delegation of the sentence was not followed by order of the Supreme Court, but the main hearing has not yet begun, there is a very significant default in a detention case," says the decision of the Vienna Higher Regional Court, which ordered the immediate release of the giant and his companion.

Defense lawyer Andreas Mauhart: "We are pleased that our arguments were taken into account in the appeal." The German, represented by Philipp Wolm, has pleaded not guilty to the charges: "He has a flawless alibi."

Does this mean the first deportation since 2021 is set in stone? No, because there are several hurdles. Ali H.'s defense lawyer has filed an appeal against the deportation order, which led to the public hearing on Wednesday.