Reopening Investigation into the Destruction of the Pilnacek Recording
Spilling Vienna's Dirty Secrets - The Pilnacek Recording Saga
The unrestrained chatter of a Vienna city local, involving Christian Pilnacek, the late head of the Justice Department, left jaws dropped after his untimely demise in 2023. The Vienna Public Prosecutor's Office and a special commission at the Ministry of Justice swung into action to probe Pilnacek's tenure, following the controversy stemming from the leaked recording.
Pilnacek's grieving widow, Caroline List, set her sights on the video's originator, Christian Mattura, seeking the destruction of the infamous "Pilnacek tape" and a ban on its circulation. However, her lawsuit toward Mattura remained unserved, and the default judgment issued discreetly slipped beneath Mattura's radar, as per Michael Nikbakhsh's podcast Die Dunkelkammer.
Eavesdropping Scandal - The Pilnacek Tape Exposé
Recorded on the fateful day of July 23, 2023, the 80-minute recording came complete with a ten-minute excerpt making rounds. In the recording, Pilnacek discloses the ÖVP repeatedly pressurizing him to interfere in ongoing criminal investigations. He recounts uncomfortable encounters with ÖVP ministers, pleading ignorance and refusing to comply with their demands.
In her lawsuit against Mattura, List argued that the recording's publication sparked a "wild media frenzy" and "smear campaigns," tarnishing Pilnacek's memory.
The Controversial Pilnacek Recording - A Game of Cat and Mouse
Fast forward to August 2024, the Regional Court for Civil Matters issued a judgment ordering Mattura to destroy all his materials and cease the taping's distribution. Mattura received no inkling of the court proceedings, oblivious to the judgment and the cost of 4,890 euros assigned to him.
The reason being, Mattura has lacked a permanent Austrian address since 2017, which apparently the court had overlooked. Their attempts to reach Mattura through RSb letters to his old address were fruitless, culminating in a default judgment in August of 2024.
Mattura only became aware of the judgment half a year later, courtesy of Gernot Rohrhofer's book chronicling the circumstances surrounding Pilnacek's demise. Mattura has since lodged an appeal, requesting a revisit of the proceedings and a fair opportunity to defend himself, with the hearing set for April 28. The final verdict is anticipated soon.
(Check out our website, lin, for more juicy gossips and dodgy dealings.)
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- Despite being unaware of the court proceedings, Christian Mattura was ordered in August 2024 by the Regional Court for Civil Matters to destroy all materials related to the Pilnacek recording and cease its distribution, following a default judgment and a fine of 4,890 euros.
- Mattura's lack of a permanent Austrian address since 2017 apparently went unnoticed by the court, leading to fruitless attempts to reach him.
- The judgment was issued discreetly and slipped beneath Mattura's radar, as per Michael Nikbakhsh's podcast Die Dunkelkammer.
- In her lawsuit against Mattura, Caroline List, the grieving widow of Christian Pilnacek, argued that the recording's publication caused a "wild media frenzy" and "smear campaigns," tarnishing her late husband's memory.
