Half a year after the first “Krone” report on the serious allegations of fraud at Energie Ried, the cause is now really picking up speed. Because the damage exceeds five million euros, the Ried public prosecutor has now handed the case over to the economic and corruption public prosecutor’s office.
Things are going in quick succession at Energie Ried. After the turbulent special city senate on Tuesday, at which the mayor Albert Ortig (ÖVP), who was only in office until November 18, was blown away with his idiosyncratic dismissal of the current managing director, the waves went up twice on Thursday.
First, the public prosecutor informed Ried that the case had been forwarded to the public prosecutor’s office for business and corruption. “Because the provisional damage amount already exceeds five million euros, we have forwarded the file with currently two suspects to our colleagues in Vienna. Nothing will change in the investigation. Only the officials of the State Criminal Police Office now have a new boss, ”explains Alois Ebner from the Ried public prosecutor’s office.
Fraud with pensions and line lengths
As reported, the two former managing directors are under serious suspicion of fraud. It is the presumption of innocence. You are said to have submitted incorrect cable lengths to the supervisory authority E-Control for several years in order to achieve higher profits. According to minutes of the supervisory board meeting in March, pensions are also said to have been tricked. Instead of pension payments for the electricity sector, the electricity regulatory authority was sent the sum of all payments (including, for example, from the gas and water sectors).
Supervisory boards met with Ortig
The city also benefited from the high profits of its company. Which is why the role of Ortig, who represents the company’s general assembly as the owner’s representative, is questioned again and again. This was also the case on Thursday evening when the supervisory board met with Ortig.