WKStA suspected deal

Casinos case: Investigations were discontinued

Peter Sidlo was targeted by the judiciary. The WKStA suspected a deal surrounding his appointment to the casino board.

(Bild: APA/CASINOS AUSTRIA/CHRISTOF WAGNER)

It was one of the first cases triggered by the Ibiza video. The WKStA suspected a connection between the appointment of Peter Sidlo to the Casinos Austria Management Board and Thomas Schmid as ÖBAG CEO. On Thursday, it was announced that the investigations against Schmid, Löger and Sidlo had been closed. Heinz-Christian Strache and Novomatic remain in the focus of the authorities.

The Economic and Corruption Prosecutor's Office (WKStA) has discontinued its investigations into several active and former politicians in the Casag complex. Specifically, it concerns the appointment of FPÖ-affiliated manager Peter Sidlo to the Management Board of Casinos Austria AG.

In addition to Sidlo, former Finance Minister Hartwig Löger (ÖVP), State Secretary Hubert Fuchs, General Secretary Thomas Schmid and FPÖ politician Johann Gudenus were suspected of bribery. However, the investigation into the case is still ongoing.

Pröll: "Incomprehensible to me"
 The related investigations against the former Vice-Chancellor, Finance Minister and ÖVP leader Josef Pröll were also closed. When asked, a spokesperson for the Public Prosecutor's Office for Economic Affairs and Corruption refused to confirm or deny this.

It was only after Pröll himself went public with this that the APA finally received confirmation from the WKStA. The argument there was that Pröll was no longer a public figure and therefore the name could not be mentioned.

Pröll had previously announced the suspension in a press release and let it be known that he had not been questioned during the investigations. "The anonymous accusations against me have no basis. It is incomprehensible to me how proceedings of this duration could continue without any relevant substantive progress," he was quoted as saying.

The related investigations against the former Vice-Chancellor, Finance Minister and ÖVP leader Josef Pröll were also closed.

(Bild: APA/HANS PUNZ)

Allegation of an agreement between the ÖVP and FPÖ
The case surrounding the partly state-owned Casinos Austria AG (CASAG) is about a suspected deal within the Turkish-blue government in the gambling sector. The case has been under investigation since June 2019 following an anonymous complaint.

The allegation: there is said to have been an ÖVP-FPÖ agreement to appoint Sidlo, who is close to the FPÖ, to the Casag board on a ticket from CASAG co-owner Novomatic - although he is said to have been poorly qualified for the position. In return, the FPÖ is said to have signaled concessions regarding possible legislative changes in the area of small-scale gambling after the Vienna elections.

Further investigations against Strache and Novomatic
However, the WKStA has not completely closed the proceedings. For example, Heinz-Christian Strache, Vice-Chancellor under the Turquoise-Blue government, and a gambling company - apparently Novomatic - are still under investigation. Despite the suspensions, the WKStA still concludes: "It is highly probable that there was an agreement between the FPÖ and the private gambling company. Part of such an agreement was in any case the appointment of the agreed candidate as a CASAG board member."

Heinz-Christian Strache and the gambling group Novomatic are still under investigation.

(Bild: APA/EVA MANHART)

After four years of investigations, the investigations into the case are now coming to an end, at least for Peter Sidlo. Around a year ago, Sidlo went on the offensive: he found himself under immense psychological strain as a result of the allegations. His lawyer Dietmar Bachmann filed an application for discontinuation in February last year.

Criminal responsibility "not attributable"
Numerous witnesses had testified, but none of them knew anything about an intervention for Sidlo. Even Thomas Schmid, who made a remorseful confession, was unable to substantiate the suspicions. He was "not aware of any Novomatic-FPÖ deal, and he was not aware of any criminal guilt in this connection", Schmid explained during his questioning.

The reason given by the WKStA for the dismissal was that the individual accused could not be held criminally responsible. Further investigations against Fuchs - he presented details of the budget roadmap of the FPÖ and ÖVP coalition negotiators on the very same day - were also dropped.

A tax consultant working in disguise for a gambling group had approached him with requests and offered benefits in return. No such advantage could be proven.