In the case of an attempt to extort the German baby food manufacturer HiPP, the court in Eisenstadt decided on Tuesday to place the 39-year-old Slovak suspect, arrested on Saturday in the federal state of Salzburg, in pre-trial detention for 14 days. TASR informs about it with reference to the APA agency.
The suspect denies all charges. His lawyer Manfred Arbacher-Stöger told the media that he wanted to use the rat poison found at his residence on his farm in Slovakia. The police did not comment on this claim for the APA agency.
Custody decision
The Slovak was arrested on Saturday morning and on Sunday he was taken to the prison in Eisenstadt, the capital of the state of Burgenland. The local prosecutor’s office immediately requested the imposition of pretrial detention, which the court granted.
Before the court’s decision, Arbacher-Stöger expressed his skepticism about the possibility of custodial prosecution, as he is convinced that his client “has nothing to do with the matter”. The Slovak was previously an employee of HiPP, but ended his employment by agreement. He justified the discovery of rat poison during a house search by the fact that he has a small farm in Slovakia.
Contaminated cups
In April, a total of five contaminated baby food cups were seized – two in the Czech Republic, two in Slovakia and one in Austria, before they were consumed.
The results of an expert opinion on the toxicity of the amount of rat poison found in a jar of baby food seized in Austria are still not known. It contained 15 micrograms of poison. A second cup, which was allegedly sold at the same branch of the SPAR network in Eisenstadt and was supposed to be equally contaminated, has not yet been found.
Further investigation
The final legal qualification of the act will depend on the results of the expert opinion. The man is currently being investigated for intentional public endangerment and attempted intentional grievous bodily harm. Expansion of the charges to attempted serious extortion is also being considered.
The German authorities are investigating the case on suspicion of an attempt to blackmail HiPP.
As part of it, the navigation system of the suspect’s Range Rover was also analyzed, according to the Kronen Zeitung website. Data from his smart watch could also play a role, with which he wants to prove his innocence.
