Court convicts two women over Pilnacek laptop

A Vienna court on Monday convicted two women in a false testimony case involving the laptop of deceased former Justice Ministry section chief Christian Pilnacek, ORF reported. Pilnacek’s confidante received a 14-month suspended prison sentence, while her former housemate was sentenced to five months suspended. Both sentences carry a three-year probation period and are not legally binding.

The former housemate accepted the verdict. The lawyer for Pilnacek’s confidante requested three days to consider an appeal. The prosecutor made no statement.

The trial was reopened after the Vienna Higher Regional Court overturned a previously granted diversion. A separate indictment from St. Pölten was also heard.

The Economic and Corruption Prosecutor’s Office had accused the women of giving false information during questioning about the whereabouts of Pilnacek’s laptop. The former housemate allegedly said she did not know where or when she had last seen the laptop, although she had passed it on to a third party. Pilnacek’s confidante was also accused of concealing that she knew where the device was.

The women admitted to those allegations and were convicted of false testimony. The St. Pölten prosecution also alleged permanent deprivation of property and data processing with the intention of making a profit or causing harm in connection with the laptop’s transfer, as well as further false testimony. The women were convicted only on some of those counts.

The judge found Pilnacek’s confidante guilty of additional false statements about a discussion attended by journalist Michael Nikbakhsh. She had claimed that she had taken only a passive role, but the judge found that was not the case. She was also convicted of permanent deprivation of property, unlike her former housemate.

The court did not convict the women over other alleged false statements or alleged data protection violations. Pilnacek’s confidante had said, for example, that police questioned her about possible suicidal thoughts when she was interviewed after his body was found. The police officer who led the interview denied this in court. The judge found no intent, saying she had been in an exceptional state. He also said it was unclear what data the laptop contained.