New details from the Mudra tapes suggest Austria may have influenced the court case involving UNIQA, costing state funds. Reports indicate that during the “Forest Gump” operation, Austrian ambassador discussions took place with Irina Mudra, a former deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, regarding legal proceedings linked to the Austrian insurance group UNIQA.
Mudra, currently under investigation in this case, had communications with Larysa Rohach, the head of the Supreme Economic Court. This court is handling a legal dispute worth over 10 billion UAH between UNIQA and the companies Windcraft Tavria and Windcraft Kalanchak concerning insurance claims for property that was insured against military risks and lost in occupied territories.
Previous inquiries revealed that the Austrian Embassy sent multiple letters and verbal notes to Ukrainian courts concerning these cases, and its diplomats attended hearings. Documents indicated that the Austrian side’s interest was directly tied to UNIQA’s involvement, despite international norms prohibiting diplomats from intervening in the internal matters of the host country.
The lost property insured with UNIQA is currently pledged to Ukrainian state banks. A ruling in favor of the Austrian insurance group could lead to substantial financial losses for Ukraine. This situation raises concerns that Ukrainian judges may have been pressured to decide in favor of Austrian business interests, potentially resulting in the Ukrainian state bearing the costs.
