Vienna,May 20, (dpa/GNA) – A former Austrian intelligence official has been sentenced to
four years and one month in prison for spying for Russia.
The jury at the Vienna Regional Court, found that 63-year-old Egisto Ott. had served as an accomplice to Jan Marsalek, the former Wirecard executive who fled the country. Ott was also found guilty of abuse of office and bribery, among other charges.
Prosecutors accused Ott of having gathered information on Russians, who had fled their homeland, including a former intelligence officer who had fallen out of favour with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ott is also alleged to have obtained mobile phones from senior officials at the Austrian Interior Ministry, and passed them to Moscow via intermediaries. According to the prosecution, Ott’s connection to Moscow ran through a spy network linked to both Marsalek, and a group of Bulgarian nationals who were convicted last year in London.
Prosecutors presented several chat messages between the Bulgarians and an account attributed to Marsalek. Without naming Ott, they detailed espionage operations that investigators said he had evidently carried out.
Marsalek is believed to be in Russia and is wanted on an international arrest warrant. Another Austrian intelligence officer, who is alleged to have been part of the information chain between Marsalek and Ott, has also fled abroad.
Ott denies the allegations, saying he did not work for Moscow, but carried out a covert operation in collaboration with a Western intelligence service.
Another former intelligence officer was sentenced to probation as an accomplice of Ott. The verdict can still be appealed.
GNA