Witness came from Sydney

Five-day trip to Salzburg at court expense

The man living in Australia booked the most expensive flight to Salzburg.

(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

The regional court needed a witness from Australia. The man turned the trial visit into a five-day vacation and collected the costs of 8700 euros from the judiciary. Wrongly, as the Federal Administrative Court has now ruled.

Whether witness or lay assessor: if the court summons you to criminal proceedings, you have to come. Even if you live on the other side of the world. This was the case for a man living in Australia: as the only witness in a fraud trial, he had to go to the regional court in Salzburg on June 27, 2023.

8700 euro bill submitted
The person concerned turned the court-related visit into a five-day trip. He billed the court for the flight, hotel and meals - four breakfasts, four lunches and four dinners. In total: 8641 euros. The return flight from Sydney alone cost 8180 euros.

Auditor criticizes: "Most expensive flight and longest route"
The trial ended with an acquittal, the court had to pay the legal costs - including those of the witness. One and a half years later, the auditor of the Higher Regional Court noticed the bill and lodged a complaint with the Federal Administrative Court: "Without documentation and without any investigation procedure", the "extremely high flight costs and accommodation costs" were awarded, he criticized. The witness had even chosen the most expensive flight and the longer route via North America, although there were significantly cheaper ones.

The Federal Administrative Court is demanding a new decision on the fees. It remains to be seen whether the witness will now have to reimburse the costs.