VIENNA — 1977 · Murder
The Lucona Affair
The cargo ship Lucona sank after an explosion in the Indian Ocean off the Maldives on 23 January 1977; six of its 12 crew died. Udo Proksch, owner of Vienna's famous Café Demel, had insured the cargo as a uranium processing plant worth 212 million schillings, but it was in fact worthless scrap. The insurer refused to pay. Because of Proksch's powerful political friendships, the investigation dragged on for years. The scandal became post-war Austria's largest political crisis: after a parliamentary inquiry, National Council President Leopold Gratz and Interior Minister Karl Blecha resigned. In 1991 the wreck was found more than 4,000 metres down; in 1992 Proksch was sentenced to life imprisonment for six murders.
- Date
- 1977
- Place
- Vienna, Austria, Vienna, AT
- Category
- Murder
- Case Status
- Solved
- Coordinates
- 48.2082, 16.3738 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 23 January 1977The Lucona sank after an explosion in the Indian Ocean; six crew died.
- 1988–1989A parliamentary inquiry was set up; Gratz and Blecha resigned.
- October 1989Shipowner Udo Proksch was arrested.
- February 1991The wreck was located on the ocean floor.
- 1992Proksch was sentenced to life for six murders.
- June 2001Proksch died while in prison.
Sources
- Die Zeit — Wie wurde die Lucona versenkt? (1995) zeit.de ↗
- Der Standard — 'Fall Lucona'-Aufdecker Hans Pretterebner gestorben derstandard.at ↗
- Wikipedia (DE) — Lucona de.wikipedia.org ↗
- Die Zeit
- Der Standard
- Wikipedia
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.