PROCEDURE

The case originated in an application (no. 34821/06) against the Republic of Austria lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) by an Austrian national, Werner Gabriel (“the applicant”).

The applicant was represented by Ms Baumgartner-Gabriel, a lawyer practising in Graz. The Austrian Government (“the Government”) were represented by their Agent, Ambassador F. Trauttmansdorff, Head of the International Law Department at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The applicant complained, in particular, that there was no public hearing in the disciplinary proceedings against him before the Administrative Court.

On 1 December 2007 the Court decided to give notice of the application to the Government. Applying Article 29 § 3 of the Convention, it decided to rule on the admissibility and merits of the application at the same time.

THE FACTS

THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE

The applicant was born in 1939 and lives in Graz.

The applicant was, at the time of the events, a civil servant in a public employment relationship with the Styria Regional Government (Landesregierung). He worked at the Department for Legal Affairs (Traffic Department).

On 17 May 1993 the Department for Legal Affairs (Human Resources) laid disciplinary information against the applicant.

The Disciplinary Commission at the Office of the Regional Styria Government (Disziplinarkommission des Amtes der Landesregierung) decided, on 21 June 1993, to institute the main disciplinary proceedings on account of seventeen specific charges dating from December 1990 to April 1993 and suspended the applicant from his duties (Einleitungs- und Suspendierungsbeschluss).

On 21 September 1994 the Disciplinary Commission decided to hold a hearing (Verhandlungsbeschluss) in the disciplinary matter against the applicant, charging him on twenty-four counts. However, in the summons for the hearing the Disciplinary Commission informed the applicant on 2 October 2005 that only counts 1 to 14 would be subject matter of the hearing.

A hearing was held in presence of the applicant and his counsel on 7 December 1995 following which the Disciplinary Commission held the applicant liable in respect of ten counts of misbehaviour. It imposed a disciplinary penalty of immediate retirement with a deduction of 20% of his pension benefits. On the remaining four counts the Disciplinary Commission found no reason to take further action.

On 7 November 1996 the Senior Disciplinary Board at the Office of the Styria Regional Government (Disziplinaroberkommission des Amtes der Landesregierung) on the basis of the result of an oral hearing upheld this decision with regard to six counts, but found no reason for criticism as regards the remaining four counts. As a result the disciplinary penalty was reduced by setting the deduction of the applicant's pension benefits at 15%.

The applicant lodged a complaint with the Constitutional Court on 9 January 1997. The applicant also requested the Constitutional Court to hold a public hearing.

The Constitutional Court declined to deal with the applicant's complaint for lack of prospect of success on 9 June 1998 and, on 24 June 1998, remitted the case to the Administrative Court at the applicant's request.

On 23 September 1998 the applicant supplemented his complaint as requested by the Administrative Court and requested again a public hearing to be held. In his complaint he argued that the Senior Disciplinary Board had not been properly composed and that there were inconsistencies as to the number of charges in the decision to institute proceedings, the decision to hold a hearing and for which he was eventually held liable. Further, the authorities had not properly gathered the evidence and had erred in its assessment.

On 15 December 1999 (served on the applicant's counsel on 24 January 2000) the Administrative Court, without a hearing, dismissed the applicant's complaint as unfounded.
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e1
001-98034_a8_em1
CODE
DIRECT
34821/06
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
correct
001-98034_a8_e2
001-98034_a8_em2
ORG
NO_MASK
Republic of Austria
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e3
001-98034_a8_em3
DEM
NO_MASK
Austrian
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e4
001-98034_a8_em4
PERSON
DIRECT
Werner Gabriel
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e5
001-98034_a8_em5
PERSON
QUASI
Ms Baumgartner-Gabriel
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e6
001-98034_a8_em6
LOC
NO_MASK
Graz
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e7
001-98034_a8_em7
ORG
NO_MASK
Austrian Government
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e8
001-98034_a8_em8
PERSON
QUASI
F. Trauttmansdorff
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e9
001-98034_a8_em9
ORG
NO_MASK
International Law Department
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e10
001-98034_a8_em10
ORG
NO_MASK
Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e11
001-98034_a8_em11
ORG
NO_MASK
Administrative Court
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e12
001-98034_a8_em12
DATETIME
QUASI
1 December 2007
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e13
001-98034_a8_em13
DATETIME
QUASI
1939
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e6
001-98034_a8_em14
LOC
NO_MASK
Graz
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-98034_a8_e14
001-98034_a8_em15
ORG
NO_MASK
Styria Regional Government (Landesregierung)
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-98034_a8_e15
001-98034_a8_em16
ORG
NO_MASK
Department for Legal Affairs
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e16
001-98034_a8_em17
DATETIME
QUASI
17 May 1993
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e15
001-98034_a8_em18
ORG
NO_MASK
Department for Legal Affairs
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e17
001-98034_a8_em19
ORG
NO_MASK
Disciplinary Commission
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-98034_a8_e18
001-98034_a8_em20
ORG
NO_MASK
Office of the Regional Styria Government (Disziplinarkommission des Amtes der Landesregierung)
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e19
001-98034_a8_em21
DATETIME
QUASI
21 June 1993
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e20
001-98034_a8_em22
DATETIME
QUASI
December 1990
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e21
001-98034_a8_em23
DATETIME
QUASI
April 1993
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e22
001-98034_a8_em24
DATETIME
QUASI
21 September 1994
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e17
001-98034_a8_em25
ORG
NO_MASK
Disciplinary Commission
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e17
001-98034_a8_em26
ORG
NO_MASK
Disciplinary Commission
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e23
001-98034_a8_em27
DATETIME
QUASI
2 October 2005
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e24
001-98034_a8_em28
DATETIME
QUASI
7 December 1995
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e17
001-98034_a8_em29
ORG
NO_MASK
Disciplinary Commission
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e25
001-98034_a8_em30
QUANTITY
NO_MASK
20%
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e17
001-98034_a8_em31
ORG
NO_MASK
Disciplinary Commission
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e26
001-98034_a8_em32
DATETIME
QUASI
7 November 1996
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e27
001-98034_a8_em33
ORG
NO_MASK
Senior Disciplinary Board
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-98034_a8_e28
001-98034_a8_em34
ORG
NO_MASK
Office of the Styria Regional Government (Disziplinaroberkommission des Amtes der Landesregierung)
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e29
001-98034_a8_em35
QUANTITY
NO_MASK
15%
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e30
001-98034_a8_em36
ORG
NO_MASK
Constitutional Court
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e31
001-98034_a8_em37
DATETIME
QUASI
9 January 1997
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e30
001-98034_a8_em38
ORG
NO_MASK
Constitutional Court
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e30
001-98034_a8_em39
ORG
NO_MASK
Constitutional Court
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e32
001-98034_a8_em40
DATETIME
QUASI
9 June 1998
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e33
001-98034_a8_em41
DATETIME
QUASI
24 June 1998
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e11
001-98034_a8_em42
ORG
NO_MASK
Administrative Court
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e34
001-98034_a8_em43
DATETIME
QUASI
23 September 1998
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e11
001-98034_a8_em44
ORG
NO_MASK
Administrative Court
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e27
001-98034_a8_em45
ORG
NO_MASK
Senior Disciplinary Board
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e35
001-98034_a8_em46
DATETIME
QUASI
15 December 1999
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e36
001-98034_a8_em47
DATETIME
QUASI
24 January 2000
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-98034_a8_e11
001-98034_a8_em48
ORG
NO_MASK
Administrative Court
Werner Gabriel
AUT
CHAMBER
Task: Annotate the document to anonymise the following person: Werner Gabriel