Martin Schlaff

Martin Schlaff (born 6 August 1953) is an Austrian businessman, networker and philanthropist. Since 2006, he is a major shareholder of RHI Magnesita. His net worth is estimated over €8 billion.

Martin Schlaff
Born6 August 1953
Vienna, Austria
NationalityAustrian
OccupationBusinessman
Known forrisky business deals, networking, philanthropy

Career

Schlaff was born in Vienna, Austria, to Jewish refugees from World War II. He and his brother James took over the commercial firm Robert Placzek AG.

He was occupied in trade with East Germany before the German reunification. According to the German parliament, Schlaff was an unofficial informant of the Stasi. His codename was "Landgraf" and registration number "3886-86".[1] The Stasi archives have files about him as early as 1982. Schlaff had several meetings with East German officials in 1982. Stasi documents describe how senior Stasi officers were impressed with Schlaff's "extensive holdings, his various companies, and his access to the needed American technology". According to German accusations, Schlaff supplied East Germany with goods that were embargoed by the West.[1][2]

When the parliament of Germany investigated public funds that disappeared after the Fall of the Berlin Wall, it found out that East Germany (GDR) had transferred large amounts of money to Schlaff through accounts in Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein, in return for goods "under Western embargo". Supposedly, high-ranking Stasi officers continued their post-GDR careers in management positions in Schlaff's group of companies. For example, in 1990 Herbert Kohler, Stasi commander in Dresden, transferred 170 million marks to Schlaff for "harddisks" and months later went to work for him.[1][2] The investigations concluded that "Schlaff's empire of companies played a crucial role" in the Stasi attempts to secure the financial future of Stasi agents and keep the intelligence network alive.[1]

Activities in Israel

In 1998 Schlaff opened a casino in Jericho in partnership with a company partly owned by Yasir Arafat. Named "The Oasis", it was aimed at Israelis, who could not gamble in Israel where gaming is not legal. The casino was closed during the Second Intifada.

According to later investigations, Schlaff had many meetings with Ariel Sharon.[3] In 2002 Schlaff used his contacts with Sharon to help normalize the Austrian Federal Government's relations with Israel. The Israeli Government had recalled its ambassador from Vienna, after government participation of the FPÖ in 2000. A new Israeli ambassador was sent to Austria in 2004.[4]

Journalist Gidi Weitz published several stories in Ha'aretz accusing Schlaff of corrupt and illegal activities, both financial and political, in several countries including Austria and Israel.[5][6] Non of these accusations led to criminal indictments or verdicts, neither in Israel nor in Austria.

Mobile phone companies

In the first years of the century, he has purchased Bulgarian Mobiltel, and resold it after several years for big profit.[1] Simular deals were thereafter executed in two other emerging markets, but with less profit. After restructuring the companies, the Serbian Mobiltel was sold to Telenor, a Norwegian company, and the Belarussian Velcom was bought by Telekom Austria.[7][8]

RHI Magnesita

In 2006, a foundation attributed to Schlaff bought about 6% of the shares of RHI AG, the world's largest supplier of refractory products.[9] By September of the following year the MS Privatstiftung already owned 26,47% of the shares.[10] In 2016, Schlaff intended to install Christian Kern as CEO of the company, but Kern recused himself when his party nominated him to become chancellor of Austria.[11] Also in 2016, Schlaff managed the merger of RHI with a major competitor, the Brazilian Magnesita. While the headquarters of the company remained in Vienna, RHI Magnesita left the Vienna Stock Exchange.[12] The company is now listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.[13]

In 2010 he established a bank in Liechtenstein called Sigma Bank.[1][14]

Philanthropy

Not all of his donations are known publicly. Martin Schlaff has been supporting sick children and the needy since the 1980s. He is also a well-known patron of the arts, mainly in the fields of classical music and opera.[15]

In 1993, he donated his ample collection of Antisemitica to the Jewish Museum Vienna. According to the Museum, Schlaff's intention is easy to explain: ″The collector wanted to take the objects off the market and,so to speak, remove them from their originally intended use - to forment and further inflame antisemitism.″[16] In return, the City of Vienna awarded him a medal of honour.[17]

In 2013, a film project of Israeli director Vanessa Lapa lost the support of German TV channels. The project was a documentation on mass murderer Heinrich Himmler based on his diaries and letters, unpublished up to this point. Himmler was one of the main perpetrators of the Holocaust, the Porajmo, the murderer of millions of civilians and prisoners of war as part of the Generalplan Ost, and numerous other crimes against humanity. The project was on the brink, Martin Schlaff decided to step in and to provide the necessary funds. The film was completed in 2014, it was called The Decent One. It was presented at the Berlinale and received the Van Leer Award for Best Israeli Documentary Film at the Jerusalem Film Festival.[18][19]

Personal life
Residence of Martin Schlaff in Vienna

In March 2008, The Sunday Times reported that Schlaff's 2007 divorce from his wife Andrea involved a €200 million settlement, the largest ever reported up to that time.[20]

He was married at least three times. He has at least five children.[21]

Accolades
  • 1993 Gold Medal of Honour for Services to the Province of Vienna[15]

References
  1. "The Schlaff Saga / Laundered funds & 'business' ties to the Stasi". Haaretz. 7 September 2010.
  2. A tale of gazoviki, money and greed Archived 2011-01-28 at the Wayback Machine. Stern magazine, 13 September 2007
  3. "Austrian tycoon may face Israel charges: report". AFP. 7 September 2010.
  4. "Wie ich in der Öffentlichkeit gesehen werde, ist mir wurscht". Profil. 31 July 2012.
  5. Haaretz report on Jewish billionaire Schlaff stirs up Austrian media. Haaretz, 13.09.2010
  6. http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/lieberman-to-be-served-draft-indictment-for-graft-in-next-24-hours-1.355312 Lieberman to be served draft indictment for graft in next 24 hours.
  7. "Telenor acquires Mobi 63 in Serbia". Telenor. 31 July 2006.
  8. "Telekom Austria kauft weißrussische Velcom komplett". Die Presse. 6 May 2010.
  9. ""profil": Erste Bank bestätigt RHI-Deal mit Geschäftsmann Martin Schlaff". Austria Press Agency. 12 November 2006.
  10. "Machtdemonstration bei RHI: Martin Schlaff zeigt Muskeln". Die Presse. 6 September 2007.
  11. "Kern sagte Topjob bei RHI mit 2 Mio. Euro Gage ab". heute (daily newspaper). 27 September 2017.
  12. "RHI fusioniert mit Magnesita und verlässt die Wiener Börse - Aktie kracht". Die Presse. 6 October 2016.
  13. "RHI Magnesita notiert demnächst im Londoner FTSE 250". Salzburger Nachrichten. 30 November 2017.
  14. "DerStandard.at".
  15. "Martin Schlaff: „Wir bräuchten eine neue Welle der Aufklärung!"". Die Bühne. 8 May 2023.
  16. "The Schlaff Collection". Jewish Museum Vienna. 30 November 2017.
  17. "Porträt: Österreichs einziger Oligarch - Ein Grenzgänger zwischen Genialität & Skandal". Profil. 7 July 2007.
  18. "The Decent One". Jewish International Film Festival (JIFF). 31 October 2014.
  19. "Investor Martin Schlaff über den Himmler-Film "Der Anständige"". Profil. 1 February 2014.
  20. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3643442.ece The Times Online, 29 March 2008
  21. "Milliardär Schlaff: Sein Sohn ist da". oe24. 21 May 2010.
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