PROCEDURE

The case originated in an application (no. 37301/03) 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, Mr Alois Hauser-Sporn (“the applicant”), on 19 November 2003.

The applicant was represented by Mr J. Postlmayr, a lawyer practising in Mattighofen. The Austrian Government (“the Government”) were represented by their Agent, Mr F. Trauttmansdorff, Head of the International Law Department at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

On 19 September 2005 the Court decided to communicate the complaints concerning the length of the proceedings and the lack of remedies in that respect 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. In this respect, the Court decided to reject the Government's request to discontinue the application of Article 29 § 3 of the Convention.

THE FACTS

I. THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE

The applicant was born in 1973 and lives in Ameisberg.

On 21 November 1994, while driving his car in reverse gear, he knocked a pedestrian over and drove off.

On 8 March 1995 the Salzburg District Court (Bezirksgericht) issued a provisional penal order (Strafverfügung), following which the applicant was found guilty under Article 88 of the Criminal Code (Strafgesetzbuch) of having negligently caused bodily harm and under Article 94 of the Criminal Code of having abandoned the victim. The applicant was ordered to pay a fine of 12,800 Austrian schillings (ATS) (approximately 930 euros (EUR)). The applicant objected and the District Court opened ordinary criminal proceedings.

On 11 July 1995 the court held a hearing in which it examined several witnesses, the applicant and an expert who submitted that the applicant had not necessarily noticed the accident. Subsequently, on 1 August 1995, the court convicted the applicant of having negligently caused bodily harm and acquitted him of having abandoned the victim. It sentenced him to a fine of ATS 3,200 (approximately EUR 230), suspended on probation. The applicant did not appeal.

Meanwhile, having interviewed the applicant in February 1995, the Salzburg Federal Police Authority (Bundespolizeidirektion) issued a penal order on 17 May 1995 whereby the applicant was found guilty under section 4(2) in conjunction with section 99(2)(a) of the Road Traffic Act (Straßenverkehrsordnung) of having failed to inform the next police station about the accident. The applicant was ordered to pay a fine of ATS 4,000 (approximately EUR 290). He appealed on 6 June 1995.

On 19 February 1996 the Salzburg Independent Administrative Panel (“the IAP” – Unabhängiger Verwaltungssenat), having held a public hearing on 12 February 1996 in which it heard evidence from several witnesses in the presence of the applicant's counsel, dismissed the applicant's appeal. It found that the applicant should have looked behind him when he reversed his car and, therefore, was to be blamed for carelessly failing to notice the accident. It further dismissed the applicant's argument that he had been tried twice in respect of the same offence in breach of Article 4 of Protocol No. 7, as it found that the administrative offence in issue did not relate to the same conduct as the criminal offences.

On 9 April 1996 the applicant lodged a complaint with the Constitutional Court (Verfassungsgerichtshof). On 4 September 1996 he amended his complaint.

During the period in question the Constitutional Court was in the process of reviewing the lawfulness of specific provisions of the Road Traffic Act. This review was concluded on 9 October 1997, when the Constitutional Court declared part of these provisions unconstitutional.

Subsequently, on 10 October 1997, the Constitutional Court quashed the IAP's decision of 19 February 1996. This decision was served on the applicant's counsel on 5 November 1997. 13 Thereafter, on 17 November 1997, the IAP allowed the applicant's appeal of 6 June 1995 in part and reduced the fine to ATS 2,500 (approximately EUR 180). It further ordered him to pay the costs of the proceedings. The IAP stressed that there was no breach of Article 4 of Protocol no. 7 to the Convention. In particular, the offence of abandoning a victim under the Criminal Code presupposed intent while the offence under the Road Traffic Act also included negligent behaviour. The offences for which the applicant had been tried in the proceedings before the District Court had not exhausted the scope of unlawfulness (Unrechtsgehalt) of the applicant's conduct. On 2 January 1998 the applicant lodged a complaint with the Constitutional Court. On 27 August 1998 he filed further comments.

On 17 June 2000 the Constitutional Court, referring to its previous case-law, refused to deal with the applicant's complaint.

On 25 July 2000 the applicant filed a request for reopening of the proceedings before the Constitutional Court and argued that the Constitutional Court had meanwhile repealed another provision of the Code of Administrative Offences upon which the IAP had based its findings. On 25 September 2000 the Constitutional Court rejected this request but granted the request to transfer the case to the Administrative Court (Verwaltungsgerichtshof).

On 20 December 2000 the applicant amended the complaint transferred to the Administrative Court. The IAP submitted its observations in reply on 9 April 2001.

On 16 October 2003 the Administrative Court refused, under section 33(a) of the Administrative Court Act (Verwaltungsgerichtshofgesetz) to deal with the applicant's complaint since the fine did not exceed EUR 726 and no important legal question was at stake. This decision was served on the applicant's counsel on 6 November 2003.
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CODE
DIRECT
37301/03
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ORG
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Republic of Austria
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DEM
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Austrian
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PERSON
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Mr Alois Hauser-Sporn
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DATETIME
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19 November 2003
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PERSON
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Mr J. Postlmayr
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LOC
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Mattighofen
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NO_MASK
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Austrian Government
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Government
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Mr F. Trauttmansdorff
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International Law Department
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Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs
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19 September 2005
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Government
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Government
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DATETIME
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1973
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LOC
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Ameisberg
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DATETIME
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21 November 1994
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driving his car in reverse gear, he knocked a pedestrian over and drove off
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DATETIME
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8 March 1995
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Salzburg District Court
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NO_MASK
Bezirksgericht
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QUANTITY
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12,800 Austrian schillings
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approximately 930 euros
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ORG
NO_MASK
District Court
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DATETIME
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11 July 1995
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1 August 1995
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QUANTITY
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ATS 3,200
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EUR 230
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DATETIME
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February 1995
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ORG
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Salzburg Federal Police Authority
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NO_MASK
Bundespolizeidirektion
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DATETIME
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17 May 1995
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MISC
NO_MASK
Road Traffic Act
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MISC
NO_MASK
Straßenverkehrsordnung
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QUANTITY
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ATS 4,000
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QUANTITY
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EUR 290
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DATETIME
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6 June 1995
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19 February 1996
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Salzburg Independent Administrative Panel
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001-78395_a11_em40
IAP
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correct
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NO_MASK
Unabhängiger Verwaltungssenat
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DATETIME
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12 February 1996
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looked behind him when he reversed his car and
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9 April 1996
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Constitutional Court
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4 September 1996
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NO_MASK
Constitutional Court
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Road Traffic Act
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9 October 1997
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Constitutional Court
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10 October 1997
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NO_MASK
Constitutional Court
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IAP
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19 February 1996
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5 November 1997
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17 November 1997
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IAP
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6 June 1995
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ATS 2,500
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EUR 180
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IAP
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NO_MASK
Road Traffic Act
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NO_MASK
District Court
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2 January 1998
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NO_MASK
Constitutional Court
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27 August 1998
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17 June 2000
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NO_MASK
Constitutional Court
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25 July 2000
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NO_MASK
Constitutional Court
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NO_MASK
Constitutional Court
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IAP
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25 September 2000
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NO_MASK
Constitutional Court
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NO_MASK
Administrative Court
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NO_MASK
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Verwaltungsgerichtshof
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20 December 2000
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NO_MASK
Administrative Court
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IAP
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9 April 2001
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16 October 2003
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NO_MASK
Administrative Court
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EUR 726
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DATETIME
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6 November 2003
Alois Hauser-Sporn
AUT
CHAMBER
Task: Annotate the document to anonymise the following person: Alois Hauser-Sporn