Overview
- Proceedings began on January 22 at the Vienna Regional Court on a 172‑page indictment alleging secret intelligence activity, abuse of office and corruption to Russia’s benefit.
- Prosecutors say Egisto Ott systematically queried Austrian and European databases from about 2015 to 2022 for sensitive personal data later funneled to Russian interests via fugitive ex‑Wirecard executive Jan Marsalek.
- The charges include handing Interior Ministry service phones and a secured SINA laptop to agents for transfer to Moscow, with €20,000 allegedly paid for the laptop and total payments to Ott exceeding €80,000.
- The indictment also claims Ott authored a post‑attack “error analysis” after the 2019 Berlin Tiergarten murder that prosecutors describe as guidance for future assassinations on EU soil.
- Ott pleads not guilty and remains presumed innocent, as a jury hears testimony from dozens of witnesses over multiple days; prosecutors argue the alleged actions damaged allied trust and endangered targets such as journalist Christo Grozev and vulnerable refugees, with a conviction carrying up to five years in prison.