‘Harmful to the Republic’s reputation’

In a verdict designed to act as a “deterrent”, Ernst Strasser has been sentenced to a four-year jail term for corruption. In 2010, the former interior minister who was then an MEP, was “trapped” by Sunday Times journalists presenting themselves as lobbyists, who offered money in return for his political support. The court described the defence’s argument that Strasser had only pretended to accept a bribe in a bid to unmask so-called “secret agents” as “fantastic”.