Gerhard M. has taken the liberty of taking action against his early dismissal. That should be given to him by the ÖVP minister Alexander Schallenberg managed department does not get well.
The top official, who enjoys a top reputation in the IT industry and is considered the inventor of the electronic file, was dismissed a year before his retirement date. His superiors were the ÖVP-affiliated section chief and former cabinet employee Ursula Plassnik and Maria Fekter, Siegried Berka. As well as group leaders Michael Rendiformer head of cabinet of ex-SPÖ minister Thomas Drozda and husband of ex-party leader Pamela Rendi-Wagner.
The two decided on their preferred candidate (from the Ministry of Finance) almost a year before the job was advertised. Chats prove this. The Neos submitted a parliamentary question, the KURIER reported.
But Gerhard M. didn’t want to say goodbye early, despite one instruction and two notices. He went to the Federal Administrative Court, which overturned both decisions.
His farewell email, which he sent to all colleagues, including those on leave, via a ministry mailing list three days before his retirement, was immediately deleted from all mailboxes. The service account was blocked and the private email address was also blocked. According to the IT boss’s lawyer, this is a criminal offense (violation of confidentiality of correspondence).
The ministry pulled out all the stops and filed a disciplinary report on suspicion of violating official secrecy. The official had enclosed the document “ICT-historical” in his farewell email, which was created on behalf of the section management for knowledge management. A performance statement of the IT department since its beginnings in 1985. According to the lawyer, the document does not contain any information that has not previously been published on the intranet.
Criminal proceedings discontinued
Apparently to increase the pressure, the ministry sent a report to the Vienna public prosecutor’s office. After the now long-retired official was questioned by the BKA in the summer, the proceedings were discontinued. “If in doubt, we take note of this,” a ministry spokeswoman explains to the KURIER.
So if the judiciary sees no reason for proceedings, then why aren’t the disciplinary proceedings also discontinued?
The disciplinary proceedings “should be viewed independently and are conducted by the independent federal disciplinary authority”. This is in the BMKOES (Ministry of Arts, Culture, Public Service and Sport under the green vice-chancellor Werner Cones) settled that the Foreign Ministry “of course has no influence on the course and outcome”. Of course, there are two representatives of the Foreign Ministry in the three-member Senate.
Gerhard M. could not be reached for comment. Civil servants are entrusted with public administration for life and disciplinary measures extend into retirement. The question of possible consequences was not answered.
Rendi has been temporarily running the embassy in Tokyo as chargé d’affaires since the summer until Berka, who has been appointed ambassador, takes over.