SCHWEIGHOFER sues environmental NGO from Romania in Vienna
The Austrian wood processing company Holzindustrie Schweighofer sued the grassroots NGO Neuer Weg (‘New Way’) from Fagaras/Romania as well as its deputy chair, Hans Hedrich, on June 15, 2015 at the Commercial Court in Vienna, after NW published several interviews and blog posts on its blog www.neuerweg.ro about the illegal and destructive practices of HS in Romania.
Schweighofer states that the following allegations made by NW are untrue and therefore damage the image of HS:
1. HS is buying up illegally cut wood (the ‘EIA’ case). See as well here>>>
2. HS has paid bribes to public authorities (at the forest district DS Cluj)
3. HS has stolen wood in Romania (so far, NW has not said this; but see here as well >>>)
4. HS has made false statements to public authorities (i.e. concerning the capacity of its newly built factory in Reci/Covasna)
5. HS is making use of “illegal certificates” (PEFC). (NW has stated that there is a suspicion of this – and has proven that the PEFC certifier is not independent of HS. See here>>>)
6. HS is making use of criminal business practices. See here>>> Here>>> Here>>> Here>>> Here>>>
7. HS has organised a betrayal on a large scale (causing damages to suppliers and the Romanian State of 90-130 million EUR).
HS is demanding that NW officially retracts its allegations, otherwise it will be fined 35.000 EUR.
NW has replied to the Court in the following terms:
1. The allegations made are all true and had been made based on written documents and credible witnesses.
2. Since some of the allegations have been made in an email only sent to media in Austria and Germany that did NOT publish its content, NW could not have damaged the image of HS. (Actually, HS is accusing NW of freedom of speech!)
3. NW doubts that the Commercial Court in Vienna should judge this case, since NW and HS do not have commercial relations whatsoever and apart from that they are based outside Austria.
4. NW and Hans Hedrich are applying for for public funds for a lawyer and transportation costs to Vienna, since we cannot afford these.
The complaint filed by HS can be read and downloaded below (in German with handwritten Romanian comments).
Download Document
Above: Landscape in Western Transylvania after illegal logging and clearcuts in 2012. The wood
had been sold to HS in Sebes, partly with illegal papers. Part of the bribes paid for the
illegally cut wood had been paid by HS-employees to forest authority staff and later to politicians in PSD
and PNL.
Photo: Voicu Tomos, Maguri Racatau, Cluj county
