Austria is being rocked by corruption scandals that have been particularly harmful for right-leaning politicians and their parties.
Josef Martinz, Reuters said, “head of Austria’s conservative People’s Party (OVP) in the province of Carinthia resigned after admitting in court he took part in a kickback scheme to milk money from the sale of state bank Hypo Alpe Adria in 2007.”
A few days later, Heinz Jungwirth, the former head of Austria’s Olympics Committee, was sentenced to five years in jail for embezzling more than $3.7 million from the organization.
Another Carinthian right wing politician, Uwe Scheuch, was also forced to resign as deputy governor. He’s appealing his 2011 conviction on charges he sought party donations in exchange for helping a Russian investor gain Austrian citizenship.
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Maria Dolores Hernandez J. is a researcher for ethiXbase.
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Mister Lauder: Actions speak louder than words.
Corruption scandal in Romania grows
Sometimes events and people in reality appear to be something different from what they seemed at first glance. The question is whether it happens due to our inattention or because of people’s sophisticated skill to embellish themselves and facts.
Arrests of all MediaPro executives and fraud charges for RON 15 million (EUR 3.3 million) laid against them with a damage to Romanian state budget of RON 6 million (USD 1.3 million) may be considered as a big scandal in a little European country. Already the first testimony of the suspects is terrifying; the scale of atrocities reminds us the secret organization of Professor Moriarty – the mythical protector of the «underworld» from the Sherlock Holmes novels. However, in this case we are dealing with a shocking reality.
That’s why a local row may become a global media bomb very soon. It may explode, if Romanian police will have enough strength and courage to complete the investigation and send the main organiser of this crime to jail. Perhaps, they would need to buy a plane ticket because the traces of this criminal would lead them to the USA, to the house of Mr. Lauder, a heir of the American beauty empire.
It is his company Central European Media Enterprises (СМE) that controls MediaPro and other 33 European TV companies. It is these channels that under Mr. Lauder’s request regularly inform the audience about his philanthropic, patronage and charity efforts, his business success and public activity as the leader of the World Jewish Congress.
Financial scandal in Romania is only an episode in the activity of Mr. Lauder’s clandestine empire. Back home in the USA, he acts modestly – his competitors are too strong. Personal fortune of USD 3 billion allows him to go wild in Europe. Tax evasion, money laundering, frauds, bribery, purchase of senior positions – all that is in Mr. Lauder’s profile.
CME is a double-purpose media empire. Its main aim is to launder dirty money obtained from illegal operations in the U.S.; Latin American drug cartels and weapon sellers from the Middle East are among the major customers of this “financial laundry”. Its supplementary task is to create a positive image of Mr. Lauder in European countries through controlled media – TV channels, websites and radio stations.
High positions, meetings at nearly state level, insignia, honorary ranks, medals, orders and ribbons are Mr. Lauder’s special passion. We must admit that this passion plays into his hands. How can an ordinary Romanian investigator open a criminal case against such a person? It is likely that he is on familiar terms with the Romanian Prime Minister, Mr. Ponta himself!
To buy the World Jewish Congress presidency, Mr. Lauder, who is not of the Jewish origin (his maternal grandmother was a French catholic) had to pay dearly. So much the more he appreciates his position, calling himself “chief Jew on the world” among his entourage.
But who will willingly call himself a Jew in our turbulent world, you would ask. The answer is clear – a cheat, for whom it will be an indulgence. His alleged Jewishness, public activism and charitable cause are the powder under which he conceals his financial frauds. The post of the “chief Jew” can open doors into top-tier offices. It is also a backdoor in case of a legal prosecution. When financial frauds and criminal offences get into public domain, you will not hear about it from news bulletins on the TV channels controlled by him. But his pocket journalists will be the first to tell about anti-Semitism of Mr. Lauder’s enemies.
The investigation in Romania is not over yet, but Mr. Lauder is sure of his impunity. His accomplices in prison and on the loose are scared to death. Their master is cruel and does not forgive betrayal. They ask investigators to provide them with state protection under the witness protection program. But better than anyone else, do they know that the “chief Jew in the world” will not stop even if he needs to kill, and for this reason they won’t testify against their criminal boss.
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