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02. 08. 12. - 16:45

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02. 08. 12. - 16:45

Top Vienna lawyer kidnapped

Police have launched a search for top business lawyer Erich Rebasso who has been missing since Friday.

Police in Vienna believe that Rebasso has been kidnapped. His car show traces of blood and are using CCTV to try and track the last movements of the lawyer.

There have been no traces of the 48-year-old lawyer's whereabouts since he left his office at around 14.45 last Friday in Vienna's city centre to travel to an appointment in Lower Austria.

Roman Hahslinger from Vienna police said: "Since then there have been traces of him. We suspect some kind of crime."

Rebasso's lawyer's silver Mercedes was found in Vienna's Simmering district and there were traces of blood on the car.

Forensic tests are currently being carried out on the car.

Police believe the lawyer was kidnapped after studying CCTV footage. The lawyer was seen going to his car in an underground car park, but footage of the car leaving the car park shows someone else at the wheel of his Mercedes.

Rebasso is a business lawyer who also deals with data protection and media law amongst other things.

Rebasso became well known in the mid 1990's when he represented Erika and Helmut Pilhar who were trying to stop a life-saving medical procedure from being carried out on their daughter Olivia.

Rebasso also spoke Russian and had numerous Russian clients. Some years ago Rebasso was named in a fraud case in Russia where between 25 and 30 investors were cheated out of between fifty and sixty thousand Euros each. Rebasso went to the police and claimed his name was wrongly being used, and he was not involved.

The lawyer then sought to clear himself of any involvement. The case was later dropped.

The lawyer nevertheless continued to receive threats via post.

Police fear that due to these circumstances a crime could have been committed.

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