OStA boss Fuchs is said to have researched data deletion
Shortly before his mobile phone was confiscated in March 2021, the head of the Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office (OStA) in Vienna, Johann Fuchs, is said to have searched the Internet intensively for information about data deletion and recovery, encrypted communication and prepaid mobile phones. According to the online report of “Profile”, this can be found in the memorandum of an IT expert at the Innsbruck public prosecutor’s office. This is investigating Fuchs on suspicion of breaching official secrecy.
Browsing history evaluated
The IT expert also evaluated the browsing history of Fuchs’ mobile phone – namely his internet activities shortly before his appearance in the parliamentary U-committee on March 10th and the confiscation of his mobile phone on March 15th of the same year. The expert found, as the 144-page report says, “a great many indicators” which point to “research into the topics of data deletion and data recovery, as well as possible concealment of communication”.
According to “Profile”, Fuchs had also uploaded a part of the file to the Dropbox cloud service that was “classified”. A fragment of this act of closure was found on the cell phone of the preferred section head Christian Pilnacek.
StA Innsbruck determined against Pilnacek
The public prosecutor’s office in Innsbruck is investigating against Pilnacek, who has since been suspended, because of the suspected disclosure of secret information from investigation files. He is said to have revealed a house search at the entrepreneur Michael Tojner – instigated by Tojner’s legal adviser, ex-ÖVP justice minister, vice chancellor and constitutional judge Wolfgang Brandstetter.
Fuchs is still in office, but Justice Minister Alma Zadic (Greens) withdrew some of his powers after the mobile phone was confiscated. He explained to the IT report to “profil” that he was certain that as head of the OStA Vienna “always acted correctly and in accordance with all legal requirements”. Like Pilnacek, he has denied all allegations, the presumption of innocence applies.