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Udo Proksch

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Udo Proksch
Born(1934-05-29)29 May 1934
Died27 June 2001(2001-06-27) (aged 67)
Resting placeHeiligenstädter Friedhof, Döbling, Vienna
NationalityAustrian
Occupation(s)Businessperson, designer, restaurateur[2]
Known forplanting a time bomb on the freighter Lucona in 1977 as part of an insurance fraud
Criminal statusDeceased
MotiveFinancial gain
Conviction(s)Murder (6 counts)
Attempted murder (6 counts)
Criminal penaltyLife imprisonment
Partner(s)several high-ranking politicians who were shareholders in Proksch's company
Wanted since1988
Time at large
more than a year
Details
Date23 January 1977
Location(s)Indian Ocean
Killed6
Injured6
WeaponsTime bomb
Date apprehended
2 October 1989
Imprisoned atGraz-Karlau Prison[1]

Udo Proksch (29 May 1934 – 27 June 2001) was an Austrian businessman and industrialist. In 1991, he was convicted of the murder of six people as part of a major insurance fraud. Proksch died in prison.[3]

Lucona sinking

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In 1977, the ship Lucona sank in the Indian Ocean, after an explosion, killing six people. Proksch, the owner of the cargo, also then owner of famous Viennese confectioners' Demel, claimed US$20 million from his insurance company, saying that the ship was carrying expensive uranium mining equipment. Fraud was suspected; but investigations were obstructed by powerful Austrian politicians who were friends of Proksch.[4]

In 1988, Proksch fled to the Philippines after Hans Pretterebner published a book about the scandal.[2]

In 1989, he returned to Vienna, incognito, but was recognized and arrested. In 1990, Lucona was located by American shipwreck hunter David Mearns, who discovered that the ship had been sunk by a time bomb.[5]

On March 11, 1991, Proksch was sentenced to 20 years in prison. A year later, the sentence was increased to a lifelong term in prison. Several ex-Ministers were also eventually convicted over their involvement. The ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs was sentenced for forging documents authenticating the cargo. Two other Ministers were dismissed for obstructing the investigations. The Minister of Defense Karl Lütgendorf, a shareholder in the Proksch firm, had given permission to deliver explosives to sabotage the ship and committed suicide when that became clear.[6]

Proksch died on 27 June 2001, during heart surgery.[7]

Tombstone of Proksch's grave at the Heiligenstädter Friedhof

Proksch was the first husband of the actress Daphne Wagner, daughter of Wieland Wagner, great-granddaughter of the composer Richard Wagner and great-great-granddaughter of Franz Liszt.[3]

Works about Proksch and the Lucona case

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  • 1988: Hans Pretterebner publishes a book about the Lucona case, Der Fall Lucona.
  • 1993: The Lucona Affair [de], a film about the Lucona case (starring David Suchet).
  • 2004: The art group monochrom stages Udo 77, a musical about the life of Udo Proksch.
  • 2010: A documentary about Proksch, entitled Udo Proksch: Out of Control and directed by Robert Dornhelm is released.
  • 2023: Drain the Oceans (Season 6, Episode 6), television documentary by National Geographic.

See also

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Notes and references

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  1. ^ Schödel, Helmut (26 April 1996). "Ein Besuch bei Udo Proksch, Österreichs prominentestem Häftling". Die Zeit (in German). Hamburg. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  2. ^ a b Longworth, R. C. (March 15, 1989). "The Lucona Affair – The Cafe Czar Who Left A Cloud of Corruption in Decadent Old Vienna". Chicago Tribune. Chicago. Archived from the original on July 25, 2010. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  3. ^ a b Brey, Thomas (28 June 2001). "Udo Proksch: Österreichs Paradehäftling ist tot". Der Spiegel (in German). Hamburg. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  4. ^ "The Lucona Affair", by R.C. Longworth, Chicago Tribune, March 15, 1989
  5. ^ Shelsby, Ted (1996-07-29). "Local firm brings clues to surface Oceaneering operates equipment used at TWA crash site". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  6. ^ "Kreiskys adeliger Minister, Waffengeschäfte und ein rätselhafter Tod". nachrichten.at. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  7. ^ "Udo Proksch: Mad Genius or Murderer – Out of Control". The Vienna Review. 1 April 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
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