Jail for corrupt Lobbyist

Not alas the UK, whose pin-striped crims are immune from any action by Cameron’s crookedly complicit administration, but little Austria again. Political lobbyist Peter Hochenegger was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, ex BZÖ party deputy Klaus Wittnauer to 24 months plus 4 suspended, recruiter Kurt S. got five months in prison, plus 25 months probation, and the former spokesman of Gastinger, Christoph Pöchinger, will serve eight months plus 16 month suspended.

At the heart of the scandal was EU funding paid to Bulgaria; Hochegger and his crew helped Bulgarian politicians from both the Bulgarian Socialist Party BSP and the centre-right ruling GERB party cream off some €1.5m of EU funds in contracts, €960k of which was then paid in bribes to the Austrian BZÖ.

The Bulgarians have yet to put their politicians on trial. 

Hochegger will be in good company in Austria’s grim prison system; the place is filling up with bent bankers and members of the political class. In UK prisons, the lags learn new ways to break into cars; perhaps in Austria the equivalent skill will be off-shore money laundering.