Julian Hessenthaler, who triggered one of the biggest scandals in post-war European history with the Ibiza video in 2019, has been in custody in St. Pölten prison in Lower Austria for over a year.
At first glance, the charges against him have nothing to do with the Ibiza affair: Hessenthaler is accused of having traded over a kilo of cocaine.
But much of the process raises questions.
There is Gert Schmidt, a lobbyist for the gaming group Novomatic - the company that was cast in a bad light by the Ibiza video because of the suspicion of illegal party donations - who actively interferes in the investigation and pays money to the main witnesses. There are the witnesses Slaven K. and Katharina H., who themselves have previous convictions for drug trafficking and who contradict each other in the negotiations. And there are investigating officials who are believed to be close to the FPÖ.
The defense speaks of fabricated allegations against Hessenthaler in order to put the man who uncovered corruption and illegal activities in Austria behind bars.
Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International also see the process as an attempt to intimidate anyone who wants to uncover scandals.
The verdict against Hessenthaler is expected in February, he faces up to 15 years in prison.
Process against the mastermind
While we told in the last episode of "Inside Austria" how Julian Hessenthaler set the trap with the Ibiza video for the former FPÖ boss Heinz-Christian Strache, this time we look at the process against the mastermind.
We explain how Hessenthaler was investigated after the video appeared, who the witnesses are and what inconsistencies there are.
We look at the court files, visit Julian Hessenthaler in prison and meet former companions of his.
In the weekly podcast “Inside Austria”, SPIEGEL and STANDARD look together at the big and small scandals in Austria.
Together with journalists from both editorial offices, we reconstruct cases and events that move the country.
We look into political abysses, follow the investigations into the Causa Kurz and his ÖVP.
And inform about an important Austrian topic of the week.
You are welcome to send us feedback on the podcast to insideaustria@spiegel.de.
You can also find an overview of all current developments and new revelations in the Kurz affair in our new weekly newsletter »Inside Austria«.