An Austrian consultant of the French Company Thomson-CSF in Vienna, Peter Muchitsch, 53 years old, has been given a four month imprisonment suspended sentence by a Vienna Court for having attempted bribery regarding the sale of 22 radars to the Austrian Armed Forces.

Mr. Muchitsch, Manager of the Viennese firm Atlas Aerospace that closely cooperates with the French firm, has been found guilty to have offered 1,5% of the contract, i.e. 19 millions of shillings (about 9 millions of US$), as a donation to the Austrian Social-Democrat Party (SPOe) if the SPOe accepted to support the Thomson-CSF offer.

This proposal made to a SPOe official (civil servant), Fritz Klocker, in a Viennese cafe during mid-February 1994, was refused by the latter.

At the beginning of March, the Viennese magazine News revealed that Thomson-CSF paid a commission of 50 millions of shillings (5 millions of US$) to Mr. Muchitsch and that 80 millions of shillings (8 millions of US$O had been transferred to secret Swiss accounts. Mr. Muchitsch then confirmed that he received a commission of the said company by denied a transfer to Swiss accounts. Mr. Muchitsch said that he would appeal.

At the end of October 1994, Thomson-CSF was granted this 1,3 billion shilling contract (about 130 millions of US$) regarding the delivery of 22 radars to the Austrian Armed Forces.

With acknowledgement to AFP.