Austria’s highest court has upheld the corruption conviction of former Finance Minister Karl-Heinz Grasser, sentencing him to four years in prison, thus concluding a high-profile legal saga that has gripped the nation for years.
The ruling, issued on Tuesday, dismissed Grasser’s appeal against a 2020 judgment by a lower court that found him guilty of corruption-related offences in connection with the controversial privatisation of thousands of publicly owned apartments. While the Supreme Court confirmed the core charges of fraud, bribery, and evidence tampering, it reduced the original eight-year sentence to four years, citing procedural considerations and mitigating circumstances.
Grasser, now 56, served as Austria’s finance minister from 2000 to 2007 and was once seen as a rising star within the political right. Charismatic and media-savvy, he was widely considered a modernising force within the conservative Freedom Party and later the Austrian People’s Party. His public image also attracted attention due to his marriage to Fiona Swarovski, a member of the famed crystal dynasty.
The corruption case dates back nearly two decades and revolves around allegations that Grasser accepted illegal payments during the sale of around 60,000 state-owned apartments. The funds, prosecutors alleged, were funneled through offshore accounts and concealed through complex financial arrangements. Grasser has consistently denied any wrongdoing and maintains that the accusations are politically motivated.
Although the original 2020 conviction was not enforceable due to pending appeals, Tuesday’s ruling by the Supreme Court now makes the verdict final and binding. Grasser is expected to begin serving his sentence in the coming weeks.
The decision marks one of the most significant political corruption cases in Austria’s recent history, raising broader questions about transparency and accountability in the country’s public sector. Legal analysts have noted that the halving of Grasser’s sentence does not negate the severity of the charges but reflects judicial discretion based on appeal arguments.
Despite the reduced sentence, the ruling sends a clear signal that even top-ranking officials are not immune from prosecution in Austria’s judicial system.
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