Krauland scandal

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The Krauland scandal was a political criminal case in Austria that was uncovered in 1950/51. The Minister for Asset Protection and Economic Planning Peter Krauland from the ÖVP had gradually embezzled funds and assets for years, some into his own pocket, and some to political parties and interest groups.

background

From 1945 to 1949 Krauland served as Federal Minister for Economic Planning and Asset Protection. The Ministry's task was, on the one hand, to restore “Aryanized” assets and, on the other hand, to “wind up” the assets of former Nazi organizations . The sale or lease of unclaimed property, were known for which no restitution claims, and the distribution of Marshall Plan funds were administered by Kraulands authority. In the course of the formation of the government in 1949, the minister resigned from office and his authority was dissolved; Most of the agendas were taken over by the Federal Ministry of Transport and nationalized companies under Karl Waldbrunner ( SPÖ ). During his tenure, Krauland and his own "political department" in his ministry controlled cash flows in the millions and the distribution of important assets that were carried out under the party proportional representation of the grand coalition . For example, the formerly Jewish print shop Waldheim-Eberle was transferred to a proportional committee for 16 million schillings , while the actual value was over 70 million. Both the ÖGB and the chambers and other social partnership institutions were involved in the distribution of assets.

scandal

From August 1950 the first articles about irregularities in the Krauland Ministry appeared in the Wiener Kurier , the organ of the US occupation power, and the Vienna weekly edition , the weekly edition invited the public to a “swamp inspection” and called Krauland a “privateer”. The newspaper was confiscated several times. Among other things, he was accused of forcing public administrators appointed by him to make donations to the party, of being involved in companies to which he himself had transferred public assets and of having damaged the state by billions. He would also have created lucrative positions for close employees who are dependent on him and would therefore also have direct influence on companies. In addition, Krauland is said to have offered people within the sphere of influence of his ministry to remove disadvantageous file notes if a party donation would be made in return. On November 24, 1951, Krauland, then a member of the National Council, was finally arrested. His internal party opponents, above all Foreign Minister Karl Gruber , are said to have participated in his eventual overthrow ; Krauland resigned from the People's Party on July 29, 1951. In 1954, Krauland was on trial in Vienna; the main charge was the Guggenbacher paper mill , which had been leased at a fraction of the market value for a donation of 700,000 schillings from the party . Another charge, which can be cited as an example of Krauland's methods, concerned the Wiener Farbenfabrik Kast & Ehinger: Although the annual profit was over 1 million schillings, the factory was leased to a consortium for 50,000 schillings and without sufficient proof of capital, which Krauland itself owned a mailbox company had a 25 percent stake.

During the court proceedings, Krauland defended himself with reference to proportional representation, so every ministerial order had been countersigned by the SPÖ State Secretary Karl Mantler . Contemporary press reports noted the conspicuous silence of the SPÖ, which actually had to accommodate the Krauland affair in the 1951 and 1953 election campaigns. Due to the amnesty law of 1950, Krauland finally had to be acquitted in 1954. Another case in 1958 was dropped for lack of evidence. The political scientist Hellmut Butterweck wrote that the Krauland trial of 1953/54 "morally pulverized an entire ministry".

aftermath

In the course of the Krauland affair, Federal Chancellor Leopold Figl was convicted of false statements; in the end he had to admit that he had known about donations from the party over 2.5 million schillings through company commissions. The Viennese party chairman and finance officer of the ÖVP, Fritz Polcar , who was involved in the Krauland scandal as the recipient of secret party donations, finally had to resign in the context of the affair surrounding Johann Haselgruber in 1958.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The criminal case of Peter Krauland in: Die Presse daily , Vienna, March 6, 2009
  2. ↑ a b In favor of the party coffers in: Der Spiegel 8/1951
  3. ↑ Krauland arrested . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna November 25, 1951, p. 1 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
  4. ^ Unpacking in Vienna in: Der Spiegel 5/1954
  5. ↑ Biggest scandal? Not in: Der Standard newspaper, Vienna, June 23, 2006
  6. ↑ Hubert Sickinger: From the "Isle of the Blessed" to the "Scandal Republic": Political Scandals in the Second Republic . in: Michael Gehler / Hubert Sickinger: Political affairs and scandals in Austria . Kulturverlag, Thaur-Wien-Munich, p. 715

literature

  • Peter Böhmer: Whoever could, took it. Aryanized goods and Nazi assets in the Krauland Ministry 1945-49 . Böhlau Verlag, Vienna-Cologne-Weimar 1999 ISBN 3205990536