Kampusch lawyer issues €1mn compensation claim

An advocate representing kidnap victim Natascha Kampusch is demanding one million Euros in compensation for personal suffering for his client.Viennese newspapers report today (Tues) that Gerald Ganzger called on the Republic of Austria to transfer one million Euros to Kampusch, 23, for what she had to endure in her eight years in captivity.Kampusch was snatched off the road on her way to school in Vienna in March 1998. She managed to free the clutches of Wolfgang Priklopil – who kept her in a basement room under his house in Strasshof an der Nordbahn near Vienna – in August 2006.Ganzger argues Kampusch may have been freed much earlier had police worked more carefully.The federal interior ministry – which is in charge of the police – has three months to make a statement on the appeal before juridical officials rule over whether Kampusch is eligible to receive financial compensation.Kampusch’s autobiography “3,096 Tage” (3,096 Days) made eighth place in last year’s chart for the sale of non-fiction books in Austria. It is currently in 44th in the sale ranking of online retailer Amazon in Germany and Austria.