Austrian Olympic secretary jailed

A top Olympic official who funded a champagne lifestyle by using the organisations cash as if it was his own has been jailed.

Heinz Jungwirth, former long standing Secretary General of the Austrian Olympic Committee (ÖOC), has been sentenced to five years in prison for embezzlement and ordered to pay a fine of 1.5 million Euros.

Jungwirth, it was alleged, embezzled 3.3 million Euro in cash from the Austrian Olympic Committee to fund a luxury lifestyle for himself.

Judge Georg Olschak said: “When you take a closer look at Dr Jungwirth’s way of life it is not difficult to imagine where this money could have gone.”

Jungwirth owns a fleet of cars, ten horses, a riding stable and has a top trainer on staff.

Judge Georg Olschak slammed Jungwirth for his particularly ‘shameless and disgraceful behaviour’, paying for private services from the Olympic Committees accounts.

Olschak claims Jungwirth had the mentality: “I am the ÖOC, I can do with the money as I please.”

Olschak said the prison sentence was necessary to “give him time to develop a sense of wrong doing and responsibility.”

He also drew on this “repulsive, old Austrian, Functionary mentality”.

A former colleague of Jungwirth was cleared of involvement.

The sentence can still be appealed.