According to authority spokesman Erich Habitzl, the man is accused of five counts of grossly negligent homicide, three counts of grossly negligent grievous bodily harm and three counts of grossly negligent bodily harm. The suspect has so far denied the allegations.
According to the public prosecutor’s office, the accused should not have complied with the necessary hygiene regulations. Furthermore, he may not have carried out the corrections requested by the food inspector – also for financial reasons. The company owner is also accused of not having maintained the equipment.
Operation as a possible source of Listeria strain
The cheese dairy became known in September 2022 in connection with Listeria. At that time, there was a recall for kajmak, drinking yoghurt and cream cheese from the company. Previously, routine cluster analyzes carried out by the Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) had shown that eight diseases that had occurred since 2020 can be traced back to an identical Listeria strain. The company was considered a possible source. However, a connection was always rejected by the boss.
Before filing the criminal complaint, an expert had been appointed by the public prosecutor’s office in the spring. This was to check whether the deaths and illnesses were related to the company’s products. Habitzl did not provide any information on the content of the report to the APA on Thursday.
Käserei Gloggnitz GmbH went bankrupt at the end of the previous year, which resulted in bankruptcy proceedings. According to “Wirtschaftscompass”, the decision of April 12 finally ordered the closure of the company.
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