Based on the following investigative article, the setup of Heinz-Christian Strache in Ibiza was a freelance project that finally found a buyer just before the European Parliamentary elections.

Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff tells us that:

He is also mulling over his decision whether to become an MEP following his election to the European Parliament with 44,000 votes!

This is currently the definitive account of what really happened. Strache has in the meantime filed a police complaint in Germany against five people.

Many thanks to JLH for translating this article from EU-Infothek:

A recent rumor that Gudenus received €200,000 from the alleged niece of a Russian oligarch as down-payment on the property is just a rumor and not supported by any facts.

An attractive Serbian-born female real estate agent, who was personally acquainted with the Gudenus family, spoke to him about commissioning her to sell the estate. EU-Infothek reported on it. An information center was established in the office of the Viennese attorney: 24-hour reports on Strache, personal contact to Gudenus through the property sale. The attorney and his friends from security made use of the information and the contacts. The idea was rapidly conceived to feed this fresh information on Strache (at that time, FPÖ [Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs, Austrian Freedom Party] party leader and member of parliament, but not vice chancellor) into one common comprehensible document/video.

The second fortuitous circumstance was that the Strache intimate and friend Mag. Johann Gudenus (aristocratic bloodline, graduate in law of the Moscow Diplomatic University) inherited a forest property with private hunting rights in Krems Valley, ca. 20 kilometers north of Krems.

In 2017, several circumstances coincided favorably for the implementation of the business idea of the four security musketeers. One member of a security detail who was very close to H. C Strache found himself compelled to volunteer to Mirfakhrai running commentary on the habits, comments, preferences, weaknesses and contacts of his highly-placed boss. Without having to pay for it, the attorney learned in precise detail everything about Strache and his intimate environment. 24/7.

During the years from 2015 to 2017, the hard core of experienced mercenaries together with attorney Ramin Mirfakhrai of the security firm came to the conclusion that it was necessary to develop and implement a new business model. The problem of a political party or a company would be addressed, and the “solution” produced. The finished product would then be offered for sale to the political group or party.

Sascha Wandl lost his nerve and, in a 15-page exhaustive confession/self-indictment through Mag. Sebastian Lesigang, identified all the participants and their activities to authorities, thereby making himself some “friends for life.”

One of the partners in the security firm, Mr. Sascha Wandl, has to appear in circuit court in Krems at the end of July to answer a charge of libel. A witness in this trial is the now familiar detective Julian Hessenthaler. In the criminal trial in Austria, all charges against the industrial enterprise and all others involved were dropped.

Until sometime around the turn of the year 2014/2015, more than a dozen security people from Austria, Germany and the Balkans, from a joint firm, were working very successfully with prestigious international concerns. They solved problems connected with cigarette smuggling, corrupt practices in awarding commissions, etc. However, they were then implicated in a big industrial espionage scandal involving an internationally active Upper Austrian industrial enterprise. After the scandal leaked out, the security firm lost all business from well-known firms. After millions in earnings, bankruptcy was imminent.

This obviously honest reaction led to an hours-long personal conversation near the German border with two of the most important persons from inner security circles, who had participated in the sale of the video. Here is the whole story as credibly told by insiders.

EU-Infothek: Credible information that you met yesterday in Munich with a representative of one of the largest media companies in Germany, which also publishes a newsmagazine. That you asked €300,000 for further information.

Insider: So What do you want from me?

Just as ZDF [Second German Television] was packing up their camera after an interview with EU-Infothek, one of the most important figures in the affair phoned us in answer to our public request for information. This developed into a first and, in retrospect, somewhat humorous contact and dialogue.

The broad media coverage in Austria and Germany brought EU-Infothek several thousands of communications daily, including some interesting pointers. As already reported on May 24th, one insider contacted us and promised further details.

On account of media pressure arising from these revelations, one of those involved in the early phase of producing this video contacted channel 24 and confirmed the EU-Infothek reports, especially the identity of the attorney and the detective.

EU-Infothek first reported on this matter on May 20, 2019. A few days later EU-Infothek was first to reveal the puppet-masters, namely the Vienna Attorney Ramin Mirfakhrai and the detective Julian Hessenthaler.

Helpful Secret Service contacts

Producing the video was relatively easy for the security pros, and quickly done. Professional contacts to German and Austrian secret service agencies through their regular work made it possible to find a ready-to-use house in Ibiza, already wired and bugged. From the Austrian secret service they knew about this simple and easy opportunity. The Ibiza country house was already in use by the secret services and financial police of several countries for listening in on money laundering, dope dealing, financial crimes, etc.

The Austrian security people found a completely outfitted house, and had to make no adaptations. The choice of subjects, persons and companies to be addressed in Ibiza added to the perfect preparation for “Operation Ibiza.”

How can the information be used?

The most important thing about the choice of subject is that it must deal with firms, persons or political actors that are prepared to pay a lot of money for information, or pay a lot of money to prevent the information from becoming public.

According to the security agents’ statement, their firm had often worked for Strabag[1] in various countries before 2017. They knew, of course, that Strabag is dependent on the de facto contract monopoly of the Austrian Republic, represented here by the Ministry of Transport and its fully subsidiary firms ASFINAG and ÖBB.

It was clear to the creators of the video business model that Strache’s comments that — should the FPÖ come to power, there would be fewer, or no further such contracts orders — described an unacceptable situation. Strabag, is a successful European concern — 26.4% owned by the Haselsteiner Group [Austrian], 25.9% by the Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, 14% by the UNIQA Group [Austrian, insurance], 13.2% by the Raiffeisen Group [Swiss, banking], 6.7% proprietary to the company, 13.5% diversified shareholders. A drop in contracts awarded would be difficult for the Republic of Austria to weather.

A logical further exploration of this problem would include naming even more firms and persons from Forbes‘ lists of billionaires.

Use of alcohol and other substances

Besides alcohol, Red Bull, etc., there was also the well-known substance for the use of which Austrians will not excuse politicians, quite in contrast to the consumption of alcohol, which has in the past even led to the improvement of some politicians’ images.

This substance, as EU-Infothek has learned in many investigations — is available in varying qualities, from light to pure. The usual quality is the diluted “light to medium” and the body, brain and psyche of the user is used to such lower quality. “Pure,” on the other hand creates unbridled euphoria, megalomania, Batman and Superman all rolled into one. This substance was knowingly and with purpose supplied free to the guests in the villa in Ibiza. The result is clear in the video.

Video known in political circles for a long time

When the production “Seven Hours of Video” was finished, it was shown soon afterwards and offered to the head of Strabag and representatives of parties in parliament — especially party leaders and PR specialists. Considering their expenditure of €380,000, the producers of the video were asking between €1.5 and 2 million for the full video.

In 2017, political circles and elitist circles around the Viennese attorney Ramin Mirfakhrai, and certainly the Strabag company, knew of the video, and had refused to buy it. Neither the company nor the political parties wanted to risk such a reprehensible action, and certainly not pay for it.

Motives and quiet waiting for the right time

In 2017, the reward for the work was pats on the shoulder and satisfaction, especially since one of the producers of the video was from one of our friendly Balkan neighboring lands, and did not feel he had been treated respectfully by the FPÖ and Mr. Strache.

For him, the production of the video was not only a matter of high financial reward, but of satisfaction.

There was no success in 2017 in Germany either.

On the basis of repetitive contacts between security firms and secret services, it is quite likely that people of some influence in the secret service knew of this video, and perhaps already had a complete copy from the (well-known) location in Ibiza.

The congratulatory insiders with knowledge of this video advised the producers to lock it up — perhaps for a later opportunity.

That opportunity came in March/April, 2019.

A new attempt to sell the video

The producers were agreed. Now was the decisive moment. The EU elections offered the best chance to find one or more buyers. Attorney Ramin Mirfakhrai did not hesitate to personally offer the video to prestigious media in Austria, demanding large sums. But he failed again in Austria.

Several of those who knew the video urgently advised the exploration of the German market. The detective Julian Hessenthaler had contacts with numerous attorneys, a Munich law office, a nationally known law office which appeared frequently in trials concerning media law.

Showplace Berlin

The Berlin law office “Johannes Eisenberg, Prof. Dr. Stefan König, Dr. Stefanie Schork” was the likely representative of Julian Hessenthaler. Credible informants maintain that Hessenthaler solicited this chancellery to help him in selling the video to media or political groups in Germany.

Hessenthaler made this move as early as the beginning of 2019, but not until two months before the EU elections did things begin to move quickly.

The lawyers reported an interested party — an organization prepared to buy the video, if media experts found it interesting.

There was then a viewing of the entire seven-hour video, priced at €1.5 to 2 million.

The organizational representatives were not willing to pay that high a price, but definitely did want to buy the video. Hessenthaler and the organization agreed on €600,000.

For that sum, however, Hessenthaler was not willing to sell the entire video, but seven selected sequences. The organization had the choice of sequences. The producers kept the whole video secured, and they maintain that no one, to their knowledge, has the use of it. They can naturally not vouch for secret services and other copiers at the house in Ibiza.

The Center for “Political Beauty”

An 18-page contract was drafted by the Berlin law office and signed by representatives of the organization and Julian Hessenthaler and his associates. The organization is the Center for Political Beauty (ZPS).

At 5:00 p.m. yesterday, informants definitively confirmed to EU-Infothek that this is the organization. Now there were problems with handling the payment. The participants wanted a payment as lightly taxed as possible, but with official control of the incoming payments. First, the organization discussed buying an old, but inexpensive painting, which would be assessed by an appraiser at €600,000.

When no appraiser was found to do this, the idea came up of paying in krugerrand gold coins. The payment in gold was made, but the change to cash proved not to be so simple.

The trigger for the political interest represented by the organization to sell the video in Germany apparently came from Viennese political circles. Media and also the informants’ judgment of the best possible time just before the EU elections was that it was a great success.

Present status and criminal consequences

EU-Infothek has been offered an exclusive interview with the head of the security firm in Munich, Mr. Julian Hessenthaler, possibly soon. We’ll see.

According to insiders, the attorneys for the video’s producers and the most important political opinion-makers are of the opinion, that, except for some possible minor privacy protection offenses, there is nothing to worry about. Informants tell us, and have text messages to support it, that there are several groups that are willing to pay €2 to 3 million.

The owners of the video have decided not to continue with such productions, and intend to return to their accustomed dealings with prestigious industrial clients. They declared that they would not sell the video under any circumstances, especially since their lawyers have advised that sale of the entire video could very well be a criminal offense. They intend to destroy the video.