The Interior Ministry has filed a criminal complaint against a now-retired employee who is alleged to have passed on data belonging to 36,368 staff members of the ministry. The ministry confirmed a corresponding report by the weekly newspaper “Falter” on Monday. The dataset had been discovered in the possession of former FPÖ politician Hans-Jörg Jenewein. In connection with the case, prosecutors are investigating former domestic intelligence officer Egisto Ott.
During inquiries conducted by the Interior Ministry’s internal task force “AG Fama,” it emerged that the former employee—who served as a staff representative—had requested the sensitive data. Authorities fear that the file, found on a USB drive in Jenewein’s possession, may have ended up with Russian intelligence. How the data reached Jenewein could not be established, and investigations against both individuals were discontinued, according to Vienna prosecutors, “for evidentiary reasons,” as spokesperson Nina Bussek said.
New Evidence
The employee had been under investigation for allegedly disclosing official secrets, while Jenewein was investigated on suspicion of data processing with intent to gain or cause harm, after he forwarded the data via a messaging service to an FPÖ staff member. Proceedings in that case were also discontinued due to the statute of limitations. New evidence has now led to the opening of an investigation involving Ott in connection with the electronic central personnel registry.
Prosecutors suspect the data may have reached Jenewein through Ott. Ott is alleged to have arranged a meeting with the ministry employee after she obtained the electronic personnel registry. In a report, the Federal Criminal Police Office described the woman as a “relevant source of information for Egisto Ott.”
