Front companies, expensive cars for family members, a plasterer provided the children’s meals. And the responsible MA 10 hasn’t noticed anything about it for years. Many millions of tax dollars have apparently been sunk in a seedy kindergarten association in Vienna, the city audit office has now revealed. Now it’s the turn of the judiciary.
“Creating ideal conditions for everyone is my dream, I work on it every day,” writes the chairwoman of the Minibambini association (ten kindergarten locations in Vienna, 800 children in care) on her website. This probably applies in particular to her family environment. From 2019 to 2021, the “family business” collected more than 15 million euros in tax money from the City of Vienna. At least a part is said to have seeped into a dubious network, as the city audit office reveals. Another part was spent on luxury cars and even traffic fines of the clan. The ÖVP and the Greens speak of embezzlement, systematic abuse, a “self-service shop”. To understand: chairwoman, secretary (her ex-husband) and cashier (daughter of the chairwoman) form the association’s board. In addition, the chairwoman’s son works as a house technician at Minibambini, the daughter-in-law is site manager, the son-in-law assistant to the management. Supposedly all “loans”. However, the auditors could not find any repayments (“unclear accounting records”). In addition, the chairwoman and cashier rented out premises and sold inventory to the association for a lot of money. So practically to yourself. More than four million euros in cash (!) went to several construction companies. The Treasury Department exposed most of them as front companies. A special treat: a plasterer and a drywaller received catering orders. On paper, they supplied the children with food. They had no authority to do so. The construction companies are now insolvent. Expensive BMWs were leased for family members, and even speeding tickets were paid from the club’s treasury. The city submitted the report to the judiciary and, as a first step, reclaimed a subsidy of 125,000 euros. The Minibambini association denies the allegations. “Whether there is illegal behavior must now be clarified by the courts,” says the office of City Councilor for Education Christoph Wiederkehr (NEOS). For the time being, nothing will change for the children and parents affected. You don’t have to look for a new place. There are no complaints about the childcare itself. However, this was not examined by the City Audit Office either. MA 10 has set up an information hotline for questions: 01/277 55 55.
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