Austrian ex-intelligence officer found guilty of Russia spying charges

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Austrian ex-intelligence officer found guilty of Russia spying charges8 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleBethany BellVienna correspondentReutersThe spy scandal has revived fears that Austria remains a hotbed of Russian espionage activityFormer intelligence official Egisto Ott has been found guilty of spying for Russia, in what has been dubbed Austria's biggest spy trial in years. A jury in Vienna found Ott, 63, guilty of having handed over information to Russian intelligence officers and to Jan Marsalek, the fugitive executive of collapsed German payments firm Wirecard. Ott, who denies the charges, was sentenced to four years and one month in prison.

His lawyer has appealed against the verdict. The spy scandal has revived fears that Austria remains a hotbed of Russian espionage activity. In addition to spying, Ott was found guilty of misuse of office, bribery, aggravated fraud and breach of trust.

The Details

The court heard how he had supported "a secret intelligence service of the Russian Federation to the detriment of the Republic of Austria" by collecting secret facts and a large amount of personal data from police databases from 2015 to 2020. Prosecutors said Ott gave this information to Marsalek and unknown representatives of the Russian intelligence service, and received payment in return. Marsalek, who is also an Austrian citizen, is wanted by German police for alleged fraud and is currently believed to be in the Russian capital, Moscow, having fled via Austria in 2020.

Alleged to be a Russian intelligence asset, Marsalek is the subject of an Interpol Red Notice and, as such, could be arrested if found in the territory of any of the countries belonging to the 196-member international police organisation. Prosecutors told the court that Marsalek commissioned Ott to obtain a laptop containing secret electronic security hardware used by EU states for secure electronic communication. The laptop, they said, was handed over to the Russian intelligence service.

Ott was also found guilty of having passed phone data from senior Austrian interior ministry officials to Russia. He obtained the work phones after they accidentally fell into the River Danube on an interior ministry boating trip. The court heard how he copied their contents and passed them on to Marsalek, and Moscow.

What Experts Say

The prosecution told the court that Ott was "not romantic about Russia", but had acted out of financial motives and frustration with work. Munich PoliceJan Marsalek, former executive at Wirecard, is believed to have escaped to MoscowOtt denied the accusations in court. He said that he had not worked for Moscow, but had carried out a covert operation in collaboration with a Western intelligence service.

The case has shed light on more of the alleged activities of Marselek, who has since been charged with fraud and embezzlement, suspected of having inflated Wirecard's balance sheet total and sales volume.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.