Former 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 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 could be arrested if found in any country that recognizes the notice.
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 after he obtained their work phones, which fell into the River Danube during a ministry outing.
The prosecution argued that Ott was motivated by financial gain and frustration with his job, stating that he had acted out of self-interest rather than any ideological alignment with Russia. The case has brought attention to the broader implications of espionage in Austria, especially concerning the activities of figures like Marsalek, who is entangled in multiple international investigations related to fraud and intelligence operations.
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 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 could be arrested if found in any country that recognizes the notice.
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 after he obtained their work phones, which fell into the River Danube during a ministry outing.
The prosecution argued that Ott was motivated by financial gain and frustration with his job, stating that he had acted out of self-interest rather than any ideological alignment with Russia. The case has brought attention to the broader implications of espionage in Austria, especially concerning the activities of figures like Marsalek, who is entangled in multiple international investigations related to fraud and intelligence operations.
