As of: March 28, 2024, 4:11 p.m
By: Kilian Beck
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Press
Split
The opposition is demanding clarification from the Interior and Justice Ministries. The ÖVP and its parliamentary speaker Wolfgang Sobotka are particularly in focus.
Vienna – Suspected political influence on investigations by the right-wing conservative ÖVP, and investigations that were allegedly carried out in a legally improper manner, are the core allegations in the Pilnacek case. Christian Pilnacek was head of the criminal law department in the Austrian Ministry of Justice and was considered the most powerful official in the house. He was suspended in 2021 due to allegations of betrayal of secrets against the ÖVP, which he was very close to, which are still unproven. According to the current investigation, Pilnacek died in October 2023 by suicide. The Alpine republic has been arguing about the police's handling of this suicide since a publication by the left-wing portal
ZackZack.
Christian Pilnacek before a statement at the regional court in Innsbruck. (Archive image) © IMAGO/Eibner press photo/EXPA/Groder
Police are said to have confiscated “mobile phones, keys and wallets” from Austrian judicial officers
There, the portal's founder, Peter Pilz, quoted Pilnacek's partner, who told the portal that detectives had come to see her on the day of her partner's death. They confiscated Pilnacek's “cell phone, keys and wallet” and also looked for his computer. Pilz is a former Green and a sharp critic of the coalition with the ÖVP. Accordingly, the tone of the report was maintained.
On Tuesday (March 26), the head of an investigative commission at the Ministry of Justice filed a complaint against the Lower Austrian police, who were investigating the suicide case. He told
ORF
that he wanted to have it checked whether the officials were allowed to confiscate Pilnacek's items . The public prosecutor's office is examining the case.
Anonymous police officers involved in the case told
the
press that they were allowed to confiscate the dead man's personal belongings because of imminent danger.
ÖVP National Council President Sobotka remains silent about the Pilnacek case
A few weeks after Pilnacek's death, the coroner's office clearly ruled out foul play: his death was a suicide or an accident, the
Standard
reported . It is unclear what exactly happened before Pilnacek's death. According to the newspaper, a telephone conversation with Austria's former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz on the same day is known. It is questionable when ÖVP parliamentary president Wolfgang Sobotka found out about Pilnacek's death. According to
the Standard
and
ZackZack,
Pilnacek's partner's roommate worked in Sobotka's office. According to the ZackZack report, the roommate is said to have called a former ministry official of Sobotka. The report does not indicate whether
ZackZack
sought confirmation from the officer or Sobotka. A request from the
standard
and
Sobotka left
the
Spiegel question unanswered.
Pilnacek tape: Justice officer described attempted influence by the ÖVP in a secret audio recording
This makes the case even more complex. A few weeks after his death, at the end of 2023,
ZackZack
released a secret recording. At this, the lawyer spoke about how people close to the ÖVP had tried to persuade him to “turn off” investigations against the party and its parliamentary president Sobotka. The focus is said to have been on the various corruption investigations against the conservatives.
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The Lower Austrian ÖVP politician denied everything in parliament at the time. According to
the Standard,
his office declared
in 2021 that Pilnacek was a “personal friend” of Sobotka. The Green Justice Minister Alma Zadić then set up the investigative commission. Results are to be presented in June. The opposition in parliament is already demanding information from the interior and justice departments.
Forensic doctor is said to have enforced an autopsy against the police - missing USB stick causes an uproar
Two details from the
ZackZack
story, which the
Standard
and
Spiegel
investigated, are in focus: Police officers are said to have tried to prevent an autopsy when the body was recovered. The coroner ordered one. The partner also reported that a USB stick that Pilnacek always carried with him was nowhere to be found. According to the
Standard
, there could be an anonymous complaint against a “top politician” who “is said to have drunkenly tried to rape a female employee many years ago.” The
Standard
concluded this from documents that Pilnacek left behind. In the ongoing election campaign for the European elections in June and the National Council elections in the fall, the open questions will probably continue to be asked.
(kb)