Jan Krainer, SPÖ parliamentary group leader in the Ibiza-U-Committee, was with his complaint against Finance Minister Gernot Blümel, his predecessor Hartwig Löger (both ÖVP), ÖBAG boss Thomas Schmid, ex-Novomatic boss Harald Neumann and others for suspected collusion of the ÖVP-led finance ministry unsuccessful with Novomatic before the Casinos Austria general meeting in June 2018. The Economic and Corruption Public Prosecutor's Office (WKStA) is not investigating this.
This emerges from a letter from the responsible senior public prosecutor dated February 1, 2021, which the APA has received. The law enforcement agency was therefore unable to establish sufficient initial suspicion. In official German, this is called “refraining from initiating an investigation”. A WKStA spokesman confirmed to the APA that it had not started an investigation due to a lack of initial suspicion.
The Lower Austrian gaming group Novomatic has sued Krainer for his public statements on the alleged ÖVP-Novomatic deal for credit damage. These proceedings at the Commercial Court (HG) Vienna continue, the next session is scheduled for mid-June, according to APA information. Krainer had spoken publicly of a “dirty deal”. According to previous reports, the amount in dispute is around 60,000 euros.
Krainer was not yet aware of the WKStA decision, as he told the APA on Wednesday when asked. In view of the developments of the past week, he is “more relaxed than ever” before the proceedings at the commercial court. “I would be surprised if Novomatic doesn't withdraw the lawsuit.”
According to his presentation of the facts to the WKStA on September 29, 2020, Krainer suspected that the ÖVP-led Ministry of Finance had tried to secure control of Casinos Austria in 2018. In view of the 17.9 percent it held in Casag at the time, Novomatic was the “tip of the scales” as it has a majority with both the Czech Sazka Group and the state-owned ÖBIB (now ÖBAG) the Casinos General Assembly. Although Sazka had concluded a voting rights agreement with Novomatic, the Ministry of Finance succeeded in persuading Novomatic not to vote against ÖBIB at the general meeting, thus “fulfilling the ÖVP's wish for significant influence over Casag”. The composition of the supervisory board and the size of the management board have also been agreed. Krainer had raised suspicions of breach of trust, abuse of authority, corruption and bribery against those charged. The presumption of innocence applies to all of the above; they have always vehemently denied the allegations.
