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Martin SchlaffAustrian entrepreneur
Date of Birth: 06.08.1953
Country:  Austria |
Content:
- Biography of Martin Schlaff
- Involvement with Stasi
- Contraband and Financial Deals
- Connection with Stasi and Economic Influence
- Business Ventures and Political Connections
- Later Years and Controversies
Biography of Martin Schlaff
Early Life and Business VenturesMartin Schlaff was born on August 6, 1953, in Vienna, Austria. He grew up in a family of Jewish refugees who had fled to Austria during World War II. Alongside his brother James, Martin co-owned the commercial firm 'Robert Placzek AG'.
Involvement with Stasi
According to the research conducted by the German Parliament, Schlaff was an unofficial collaborator of the Stasi, the secret police of East Germany. He was assigned the registration number 3886-86 and the codename "Landgraf". Stasi archives reveal that Schlaff had been under surveillance since 1982 and had held multiple meetings with officials from East Germany. Senior Stasi officers were impressed by Schlaff's holdings and various companies, as well as his access to essential American technologies.
Contraband and Financial Deals
The German Parliament's investigation discovered that Schlaff had been smuggling goods, including high-tech "dual-use" products, into the German Democratic Republic (GDR). These goods were subject to a Western embargo but were sold in socialist countries. Moreover, it was found that large sums of money had been transferred from East Germany to Schlaff's account in Vaduz, Liechtenstein, in exchange for embargoed goods.
Connection with Stasi and Economic Influence
Further investigations revealed that Schlaff played a decisive role in preserving the Stasi's existence and securing the economic future of its officers. In a fictitious deal, Herbert Kohler, the commander of Stasi in Dresden, transferred 170 million marks to Schlaff for non-existent hard drives. Kohler then joined Schlaff's organization a few months later.
Business Ventures and Political Connections
Schlaff opened a casino called 'Oasis' in Jericho, Israel, in partnership with a company partially owned by Yasir Arafat. However, the casino was closed during the Second Palestinian Intifada. Schlaff also had numerous meetings with Ariel Sharon and, in 2002, utilized his connections with Sharon to help normalize relations between the Austrian federal government and Israel.
Later Years and Controversies
In his later years, Schlaff focused on acquiring mobile phone manufacturing companies in Eastern Europe and reselling them for substantial profits. In 2008, he settled his divorce case by paying his former spouse 200 million euros. Schlaff went on to establish the bank 'Sygma' in Liechtenstein in 2010.
In June of the same year, his business partner, Solomon Obstfeld, was found dead, determined to have taken his own life in a forensic examination. In September 2010, journalist Gidi Weitz published an investigative story in 'Ha'aretz' newspaper, alleging Schlaff's involvement in corrupt and illegal activities in several countries, including Austria and Israel.
In April 2011, Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Avigdor Lieberman, came under investigation for allegedly accepting bribes from Martin Schlaff. Schlaff remains one of the wealthiest individuals in Austria.
