2024-03-12 05:07:34
The investigative commission, which was set up in December following audio recordings of the late justice section chief Christian Pilnacek emerged in December, combed through numerous files halfway through its work and interviewed more than 20 people to provide information. “We are by no means lacking in material,” said chairman Martin Kreutner to the APA. “Several clear starting points and certain circumstantial abnormalities” had already been found, he said, without going into detail.
The reason for the appointment of the independent commission by Justice Minister Alma Zadic (Greens) was the emergence of a recording in which Pilnacek, once the most powerful man in the Ministry of Justice, said during an evening meeting with acquaintances in a pub at the end of July that the ÖVP had demanded that he investigate stop and “turn off” house searches. But he always rejected this.
By studying files and conducting interviews, the commission is supposed to clarify whether there was any influence on public prosecutor’s proceedings from January 1, 2010 to December 2023. The starting point was roughly when Pilnacek took office as section head (autumn 2010). It is also being investigated whether there have been interventions by political parties in the administration of justice.
Kreutner emphasized that work on the content had already begun at the beginning of January. “Almost 14 years of observation and data collection, including several parliamentary committees of inquiry, results in a sheer volume of material.” You approach the content in a targeted manner. “We don’t need to turn over every piece of paper produced or every byte of digital information.” In addition, people were immediately invited to discussions with those who provided information – on the principle of voluntariness. “We have no coercive powers whatsoever, and that is a good thing for the purpose of the commission. In this sense, we have already been able to hold over 20 individual discussions in several federal states, and many more are pending.” So far no one has refused an interview.
Some people have also contacted the Commission through a whistleblowing tool. Anonymous contact is possible via a link on the Ministry of Justice homepage – a postbox can also be set up under a pseudonym so that you can stay in touch without mentioning your name.
According to Kreutner, “there were no significant problems overall” with the file request. “We are proceeding in a targeted manner, reviewing file material on site if necessary, in order to place as little strain as possible on the structures, which currently have to supply two investigative committees with much more material. Isolated discussions that might perhaps also be attributed to a time delay component , the content might be clarified relatively quickly.”
According to Kreutner, it is still too early for final results, assessments or recommendations. “That would probably also be dubious from a professional point of view at the given time. But it would also be alien to life and would hardly speak of a deep involvement in the content if one had not already been able to distill at least several clear starting points and certain circumstantial abnormalities.” These would now have to be supported with concrete examples, facts and derivations.
Finally, recommendations should then be developed. The work of the seven-member commission is scheduled to be completed on May 31st. The final report will be presented on June 15th.
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