Austrian Spy Trial: Suspended Official Ott Denies All Charges

The espionage trial of Egisto Ott, a suspended official from Austria's Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counter-Terrorism (BVT), has reached its final stages, with the jury deliberating on a verdict. Ott stands accused of passing sensitive information about Russian citizens to Russia's domestic intelligence service, the FSB, and of abuse of office.

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I am constantly being called a Russia spy in the media.

From the outset, Ott has vehemently denied all allegations. His defense, led by lawyer Anna Mair, argues for acquittal on all counts. Ott has publicly criticized the Vienna Public Prosecutor's Office and the Federal Bureau of Anti-Corruption, asserting that he has been unfairly labeled a "Russia spy" in the media. He claims that crucial case files were only recently translated and that he was denied comprehensive access to the evidence, rendering the proceedings "anything but fair."

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The proceedings have been anything but fair.

Ott's defense paints a picture of internal conflict and corruption within the BVT and the Interior Ministry. He suggests that he and a former superior, Martin Weiss (reportedly in Dubai and suspected of aiding ex-Wirecard executive Jan Marsalek's escape to Russia), "stopped playing along" with the "machinations of the superiors." These claims, however, have been dismissed as "protection claims" or "conspiracy theories" by the prosecution.

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Everything we said was dismissed as a protection claim or a conspiracy theory.

A second former BVT official, identified as Group Inspector H., is also on trial. He is accused of extracting data from mobile phones of high-ranking Interior Ministry officials in 2017 and passing it to Ott, with the information ultimately reaching Russia. H. also denies the charges, pointing to ongoing investigations against other decision-makers within the BVT and claiming he was not even in the office on the day of the alleged data extraction. The defense for both men highlights a pattern of alleged irregularities and a lack of transparency in the investigation process, raising questions about the fairness of the trial.

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There has never been Russia espionage.