Verdict expected in breach of trust trial against Heinz-Christian Strache

Background of the "Life Insurance" case

Put simply, the public prosecutor's office accuses Strache of having altered the insurance policy in his favor with the help of a co-defendant. The indictment speaks of a "self-dealing transaction" ("In-sich-Geschäft"), since Strache signed here both as the new beneficiary and as a representative of the party — that is, the previous beneficiary. A self-dealing transaction occurs when a person stands on both sides of an agreement and thereby potentially places their own interests above those of the organization they represent.

At the trial's opening in late May, Strache rejected all the charges brought against him and a co-defendant. His defense accordingly argues that he acted within the legally permissible framework. The presumption of innocence applies to both defendants.

Legally, breach of trust under Section 153 of the Austrian Criminal Code is an offense that punishes the violation of another's financial interests through the abuse of the authority granted to them. In the case of the life insurance, the question is whether the change of beneficiary was formally covered by the party or whether Strache thereby intended to gain unauthorized access to an asset belonging to the FPÖ.

Legal framework and possible consequences

Observers of the proceedings point out that the verdict is not necessarily linked to a political reassessment of the Strache case. The trial deals exclusively with the charge of breach of trust, and not with other allegations that have been raised against Strache in the past.

Should the court hand down a guilty verdict, this would have immediate criminal-law consequences for Strache, whose defense team would in that case likely lodge an appeal. In the event of an acquittal, the criminal-law chapter of the "Life Insurance" case would be closed — at least for the time being.

The trial was conducted over several weeks at the Vienna Regional Court. In addition to the main hearings, written submissions from the defense and the public prosecutor's office were addressed. The verdict will be announced in the non-public part of the hearing; the lawyers for the parties will subsequently receive the written reasoning.