Swap process: the city of Salzburg and the ex-mayor do not revoke the settlement
On Monday, the city senate unanimously approved the conditional settlement of 250,000 euros concluded in September 2021 between the city of Salzburg and the selected SPÖ mayor Heinz Schaden. Even the ex-city boss will not revoke the comparison, as he explains to the APA. This ends the dispute over the legal and procedural costs in the “swap process”, in which Schaden was convicted of breach of trust in 2017.
Both Mayor Harald Preuner (ÖVP) and Heinz Schaden appeared in the APA interview. The settlement still has to be finally sealed by the city in the municipal council, but this is only a formal act. However, since the municipal council WILL only deal with the case at the end of March, the official report was accepted today with an agreement between the parties. “I am very relieved that we have finally closed this chapter,” said Preuner to the APA.
“Very comforting”
Heinz Schaden was also happy that a line was now being drawn under the cause. “I very much agree that everything is over. I will not recant. I want peace with my city,” he said. With the payment of the 250,000 euros, all claims of the city of Salzburg that are the subject of the lawsuit are off the table. The cancellation period for the court settlement ends on March 1, 2022. If the settlement becomes legally effective, Heinz Schaden must pay EUR 160,000 within 14 days and EUR 90,000 in annual installments of EUR 10,000 from May 2, 2023.
After tax law issues arose, in January 2022 the city partially considered revoking the conditional settlement of EUR 250,000. It had previously been agreed in out-of-court talks that Heinz should pay 230,000 euros for damage.
However, according to Preuner, the amount could no longer be maintained due to the tax problem. On February 10, the extended city council finally decided to stick to the conditional settlement of 250,000 euros that was concluded in court in September 2021.