Austrian court acquits ex-official Johannes Peterlik over Novichok document leak

Published on 22/04/2026 - 18:25 GMT+2

An Austrian tribunal acquitted a erstwhile elder authoritative connected Wednesday that prosecutors had accused of leaking confidential documents linked to the 2018 Novichok poisoning of a erstwhile Russian treble cause successful the UK.

Johannes Peterlik was the overseas ministry's highest-ranking civilian servant betwixt 2018 and 2020.

In October 2025 helium was charged with "abuse of authoritative authorization and breach of confidentiality."

But the Vienna transgression tribunal acquitted him, a tribunal spokesperson told the AFP quality agency. The prosecution said they would entreaty the verdict, helium added.

Prosecutors had accused Peterlik of requesting "without authoritative necessity" a classified study successful October 2018 that included the look for Novichok, a military-grade nervus cause developed successful the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

The report, by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), contained accusation astir the poisoning of erstwhile Russian treble cause Sergei Skripal successful Salisbury successful March 2018.

Prosecutors argued that Peterlik had showed respective OPCW documents to Egisto Ott, an Austrian erstwhile quality official.

Ott is presently lasting proceedings connected a slew of charges that see handing implicit delicate devices and selling concealed accusation to Russia.

Ott, who denies each the charges against him, is besides accused of having passed concealed accusation for years to Jan Marsalek, the erstwhile main operating serviceman of Germany's collapsed outgo processing steadfast Wirecard.

Marsalek is himself wanted for fraud but, according to an planetary media probe published past twelvemonth by the Austrian regular Der Standard and different outlets, helium present lives nether a mendacious individuality successful Moscow.

Marsalek, who is suspected of moving for Russia's quality services, reportedly attempted to impressment concern associates by showing them documents containing the look for Novichok.

The Austrian is besides reported to person had interior OPCW documents astir its probe into the poisoning.

Austria has been repeatedly deed by Russian spying scandals successful caller years, tainting the estimation of the country, which is an EU subordinate authorities but is not successful NATO.