2011 cash for influence scandal
The " cash-for- Laws " affair (also lobbying affair or in the English-speaking world, especially " cash-for- influence scandal " ) is the result of an investigative search of the Sunday Times reporter Claire Newell and Michael Gillard, as the result of which in 2011 the two EU MPs Ernst Strasser and Zoran Thaler resigned and Adrian Severin was expelled from the Socialist Group.
Search the Sunday Times
In the summer of 2010, the Sunday Times reporter Claire Newell and Michael Gillard started to pose as lobbyists and tried for 100,000 euros to bring 60 different members of the European Parliament to push through a bill proposed by the reporters. Although the two were many rejections, but three members - Ernst Strasser from Austria, Adrian Severin from Romania and Zoran Thaler from Slovenia - were received on the offer. In the German-speaking world among all was Strasser for headlines and for clicks on relevant video portals in which the circulating recordings of the conversations between him and the reporters. In these videos Strasser gave example candidly:
" Of course I am a lobbyist. "
"Of course I 'm a lobbyist. "
Effects
Of the 14 MPs who received the offer of the Sunday Times reporter, taken three concrete measures to bring the desired changes in the law.
Ernst Strasser
Strasser, before the lobbying had been accused repeatedly in past years, came the first of the three MPs caught in the act of his mandate back; claims to be " because there has been in Austria a campaign against me ." This had " created optics, that harms the people's party " a.
On 9 August 2012, the corruption prosecutor announced that against him for corruption ( § 304 StGB, penalties: one to ten years ) will be charged. His trial began on 26 November 2012 on the Vienna Regional Court for Criminal Matters. On January 14, 2013 Strasser has not yet been sentenced in the first instance judgment to four years of unconditional imprisonment. The conviction was overturned in November 2013, and referred back to the first instance. There Strasser was sentenced again on 13 March 2014 and now got 3.5 years. The judgment is not yet final.
Zoran Thaler
Also, the Slovenian Social Democrat Zoran Thaler joined in protest, as did Strasser claimed he also believed to have intelligence agencies wanted to drive with him a game: " I went to the game to reveal at last, who organized this Kompromittierungsversuche " and " My intentions were the best, but the road to hell is sometimes paved with good intentions, " quoted him as the standard.
Adrian Severin
Adrian Severin saw no causal relationship between the introduced by him bill and the bill placed thereon by him to the alleged lobbyists. He wants his mandate to continue. His faction expelled him, however, and urged him to withdraw also.
Swell
- Taz: Political From Ernst Strasser
- Der Standard: " Lobbyist " Strasser - The incarnate Euroscepticism
- The Standard: Ernst Strasser resigns
- Austria ( daily newspaper ): Pröll throws Strasser out