The sixth day of the trial for drug allegations once morest the alleged mastermind of the Ibiza video, Julian Hessenthaler, started at the St. Pölten Regional Court on Wednesday morning, with great media interest.
A witness living in Serbia was interviewed via video conference. Because the accused is said to be ill, the trial was then adjourned once more. At the next appointment on March 30, there should be a verdict.
At the beginning of the hearing, the accused, who was in custody, described his state of health when asked by the judge and said: “I’m feeling limited.” Nevertheless, he wanted to be present during the questioning of witnesses.
allegations of cocaine trafficking
According to the public prosecutor, the private detective is said to have handed over a total of 1.25 kilos of cocaine with a purity of at least 70 percent near Haag (Amstetten district) in Lower Austria, Salzburg and Upper Austria in 2017 and 2018 at a price per gram of 40 euros to an acquaintance. According to the indictment, Hessenthaler is said to have paid off debts or improved his dreary financial situation.
The 41-year-old is burdened by a former business partner and his former lover. The witness had stated that he originally wanted to “clean up the slate” in his trial for drug trafficking in Salzburg and testify once morest Hessenthaler. Because his mother was threatened by two men shortly before his main hearing, he then decided differently and only charged the 41-year-old followingwards. The man suspected that Hessenthaler was behind the reported intimidation. That has been denied.
Mother threatened by prosecution witnesses
The mother of the prosecution witness reported that she had visited two men in 2020 and told her that “my son should be careful what he says in court in Austria, otherwise there will be consequences”. “I was shocked and said: ‘Out, out, otherwise I’ll call the police,'” the witness described her reaction, according to the interpreter. She described the men as “tall and strong,” and one of the two is said to be bald.
The Serb had already been questioned twice in her home country. Since the defense lawyers did not agree to the reading of the woman’s statements, a video conference was organized. Because the survey originally planned for February 16 did not take place, the process that started on September 8, 2021 had to be postponed once more. The hearing was not completed on Wednesday either due to Hessenthaler’s state of health. The 41-year-old said he had prepared a statement but was unable to present it.
Judge warns of “over-arrest”
“We might have been done since December,” the judge said. However, the nature of the defense makes rapid proceedings impossible. “There is also a risk of excessive detention,” said the judge to the accused. The lawyers stated that the accused might not be charged with his illness. The trial is scheduled to resume on March 30 at 9 a.m.
The defense lawyers have described the allegations once morest their client as fabricated and politically motivated. Hessenthaler brought into play that the witness is said to have received money or benefits in kind in the form of a lawyer’s fee for false allegations once morest him. The person concerned denied this. If found guilty, the 41-year-old faces up to 15 years in prison.
Staged Ibiza video trap
Hessenthaler is said to have produced the video on which the then FPÖ boss and Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache and FPÖ club chairman Johann Gudenus can be seen in a villa on Ibiza in conversation with an alleged oligarch’s niece. After the recordings were published in May 2019, not only did Strache and Gudenus lose their jobs, but the turquoise-blue coalition also broke. The result was a new election.
