Kleine Zeitung of 13 August 2009.

Court stands accused!

Published on 13 August 2009 at 14:39
Kleine Zeitung of 13 August 2009.

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Leading with the front-page headline "Scandalous political corruption of justice," Kleine Zeitung reports on a court decision in July to close the "case of the moving signs" with no further action. In 2006, a group of Green Party and Slovenian minority representatives filed a complaint against the state of Carinthia's populist governor Gerhard Dörfler for abuse of power and refusing to install a bilingual German-Slovenian sign at the entrance to the town of Bleiburg. Although Dörfler's responsibility was clearly established, the court, in consultation with the Ministry for Justice, took the view that he "was unaware of the legal consequences of his actions," which simply "reflected the will of [his predecessor] Jörg Haider." For the Graz daily, this excessive leniency clearly "undermines respect for the rule of law," and the report promises further revelations, concerning two former ministers and a judge, who were also implicated in the case. In conclusion Kleine Zeitung recommends that "the Ministry for Justice do everything in its power to restore the confidence of the Austrian people."

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