Dr. Peter Krauland, who was the Austrian Cabinet Minister responsible for confiscated Jewish property after the liberation of Austria, and is now being tried on charges of misuse of his office for personal gain, has charged that top Austrian political leaders advised him to get out of the country rather than stand trial.
Dr. Krauland, who is a member of the Peoples Party, dominant group in the coalition government, said that former Chancellor Leopold Figl, of his party, and vice Chancellor Adolf Schaerf, of the Social Democrats, offered this advice. He further charged that the Socialists had made proposals for profiting from the properties in his charge, but that he had refused such deals.
Dr, Krauland, who at one time had responsibility for the operation of 13,000 industrial and commercial enterprises, is accused of having handed over the operation of businesses worth millions of schillings to close associates who operated them for the gain of the ring. He is on trial with six other former high government officials. The prosecution has stated that as a result of the manipulations of the defendants, rightful owners were prevented from resuming control of their businesses.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
