IIC: GOA HAS INITIATED PRE-TRIAL INVESTIGATIONS

UNCLAS VIENNA 000864 SIPDIS PASS IO/PSC FOR LIZ PARKER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV IZ AU KFIN SUBJECT: IIC: GOA HAS INITIATED PRE-TRIAL INVESTIGATIONS AGAINST AUSTRIAN COMPANIES REF: STATE 40595 ¶1. Stefan Benner from the Ministry of Justice's Department for Criminal Matters told us March 21 that the Viennese Public Prosecutor's Office had initiated pre-trial investigations against Austrian companies, which Independent Inquiry Committee (IIC) reports mentioned as possible suspects of fraud and corruption in the Oil-for-Food Program. Benner said the IIC reports do not provide much information beyond the names of the companies. To obtain additional information, a prosecutor is traveling to UN headquarters in New York on March 22 to examine the respective files. MCCAW