Vienna Market Office misconduct and forgery investigations

The Vienna Market Office (MA59) is facing significant internal turmoil following allegations of misconduct and subsequent criminal investigations.

Initial reports focused on leadership instability after the departure of chief Andreas Kutheil, following allegations of sexism, racism, and bullying made by approximately 20 employees. This led the City of Vienna to open applications for new leadership. During this period, internal tensions escalated, with reports of friction between staff and administration regarding the handling of confidential information and an incident where employees were reportedly asked to surrender mobile phones during a meeting.

Following these leadership changes, the office became the subject of a criminal investigation into document forgery. Former deputy head Alexander Hengl is accused of directing staff to fabricate visitor attendance sheets. These falsified documents were allegedly submitted to the municipal audit office to support a €25,080 purchase of a historic sausage-slicing machine for the market museum. Legal experts noted that such forgery could result in fines or up to one year in prison.