NEWS TODAY FROM TODAYS FORMAT. A FRIEND WAS NICE ENOUGH TO TRANSLATE THE STORY FOR ME. OH GOODIE. THE STORY MENTIONS "american Amador Pastrana"
- Scandal -
Karawank Affaire
The circumstances around the arrested banker Wolfgang Koessner are now
leading to the sacking of heads at Carinthian Hypo. After a member of the
supervisory board left, a board member must likely go.
The affaire around the arrested Financial artist W. Koessner and his former
partner, the Hypo alpe Adria Bank is climaxing. Last tuesday an emergency
general meeting took place and supervisor Josef Korak lost his mandate. The
reason: intense contacts to Koessner who is being accused by Hypo of
defrauding it by 130 Millions this year alone.
Hypo board swanks.
The axing continues quickly. As Koessner, founder of the now defunct General
Commerce (earlier WMP) and also of the real estate group General Partners
(earlier Residenz) had a well functioning network within the carinthian
bank. According to hypo's owners, next to be beheaded is the vice president
Joerg Schuster. Rumors are thickening that the Banker, responsible for
securities dealing knew about Koessners dubious deals since as early as
1995. Wolfgang Kulterer, chairman of the hypo declines comment about
Schuster's case but does not reject [the rumor] outright. "Resignations of
directors are a matter of the supervisory board..." he concedes
meaningfully.
Trust, abused
Until October 2000 Kulterer believed in Koessners acumen, hypobank also held
numerous stakes in his myriad of companies. But now, the wannabee finance
and real estate wizard is indiced to have defrauded banks and investors by
billions through fictuous annual statements. Hypo Alpe Adria since pulled
itself out of all Koessner companies and indoing so, it incurred a loss in
the three-digit million range.
As a result of the accusations by Hypo Koessner now is in custody for 3
weeks in Klagenfurt. He himself now accuses the carintian bank of fraud.
Attorney Manfred Ainedner gave an interview on behalf of Koessner in which
he accuses Kulterer and Consorts to have sold 30% of WMP bank to dubious
businessmen behind Koessners back [ie without notification to him].
Koessner feels himself defrauded
Attorney Ainedtner: "The lawsuit against Koessner is baseless" The client
says: "WMP, meanwhile Global Capital Partners, is being used to conceal
dubious stock deals!" Main players: a FBI-wanted gang around the american
Amador Pastrana and the suspected check fraudster Raoul Berthaumieu the new
boss of General Partners (!) supervisory board (see Format Ed. 32/01). Says
Koessner: "The group pumped nasdaq traded stocks artficially and then wanted
to sell them in Vienna raking in a gain.
Wolfgang Koessner now alleges that he has been betrayed. He has already
written up a denunciation against Berthaumieu and some employees of the
Carinthian Hypo. The paper has already been submitted to the Klagenfurt
investigator Gerhard Poellinger. The investigations against Berthaumieu have
been commenced.
The consequences for the bank are likely very unpleasant. Annoyed Herbert
Koch, head of the supervisory board of Hype Alpe Adria: "For years people
try to discredit Kulterer". But it won't be that easy to get the accusations
off the table. The reason is that Hypo is majority owner of General Partners
Belgium one of Berthaumieu's real estate companies. Kulterer: "This is
correct. But the reason for the ownership of ours is only to have access to
one real estate [as security] because we loaned the company 100 Millions
ATS.
Whether the Hypo or Koessner will suceed in this affaire will be dealt in
courts for the next year. |
