VIENNA (AFP) – An Austrian former intelligence official and a far-right ex-lawmaker are going on trial for allegedly violating official secrecy, the first charges in a closely watched case involving foreign spying accusations.
The case came to light earlier this year and has cast the spotlight on the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe), which topped September’s national elections for the first time.
Former agent Egisto Ott was detained for two months from March, suspected of passing information to the foreign secret services and to fugitive entrepreneur Jan Marsalek.
Since then, leaked prosecution material has indicated that informants close to the FPOe are still operating in Vienna. The FPOe has dismissed all accusations.
Ott will go on trial in the Vienna criminal court, together with former FPOe lawmaker Hans-Joerg Jenewein.
Jenewein is accused of convincing Ott to uncover and share confidential information, including details on participants in a meeting of European secret services.
Ott is also suspected of passing on the names of intelligence service employees in 2019 to Jenewein, thereby “endangering national security”.
The two men face up to three years in prison on the charge of violating official secrecy.
Two days have been set for the trial but it could last longer, according to a court spokeswoman.
In a video statement released ahead of the trial, Ott’s lawyers said there “was no compelling evidence” against their client who “of course would not confess”.
Separately, Ott is under investigation for allegedly “systematically” providing information to foreign secret service.
Ott is also accused of having provided information to Marsalek and having spied on political critics. Marsalek is the former chief operating officer of collapsed payments firm Wirecard, who fled Germany in 2020 over fraud allegations.
Ott was suspended from his post at Austria’s intelligence services in 2017 amid allegations of spying and briefly arrested in 2021 on these same accusations.
Contacted by AFP before his arrest in March, Ott denied all accusations of wrongdoing.
