Former intelligence official Egisto Ott has been found guilty of spying for Russia, in what has been dubbed Austria's biggest spy trial in years.
A jury in Vienna found Ott, 63, guilty of having handed over information to Russian intelligence officers and to Jan Marsalek, the fugitive executive of collapsed German payments firm Wirecard.
Ott, who denies the charges, was sentenced to four years and one month in prison. His lawyer has appealed against the verdict.
The spy scandal has revived fears that Austria remains a hotbed of Russian espionage activity.
In addition to spying, Ott was found guilty of misuse of office, bribery, aggravated fraud and breach of trust.
The court heard how he had supported a secret intelligence service of the Russian Federation to the detriment of the Republic of Austria by collecting secret facts and a large amount of personal data from police databases from 2015 to 2020.
Prosecutors said Ott gave this information to Marsalek and unknown representatives of the Russian intelligence service, receiving payment in return.
Marsalek, who is also an Austrian citizen, is wanted by German police for alleged fraud and is currently believed to be in Moscow, having fled via Austria in 2020.
Alleged to be a Russian intelligence asset, Marsalek is the subject of an Interpol Red Notice and could be arrested if found in the territory of member countries.
Prosecutors argued that Marsalek commissioned Ott to obtain a laptop containing secret electronic security hardware used by EU states for secure communication, which was passed to the Russian intelligence service.
Ott was also convicted of passing phone data from senior Austrian interior ministry officials to Russia after he recovered their work phones from the River Danube.
The prosecution noted that Ott acted out of financial motives and frustration with his job, despite denying he worked for Moscow.
Austria's former Chancellor, Karl Nehammer, referred to the case as a threat to democracy and our country's national security during Ott's arrest.
This case has amplified concerns regarding the extent of Russian espionage operations within Austria and its implications on national security.
