National Council of the Austrian Peoples Party
What was the position of Ernst Strasser from Dec 2002 to Apr 2003?
Ernst Strasser Ernst Strasser ( * 29 April 1956 in Grieskirchen , Upper Austria ) is a former Austrian Peoples Party ( ÖVP ) politician and former Federal Minister of the Interior in Austria ( 2000–2004 ) , Member of the European Parliament ( 2009–2011 ) and bearer of the Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Sash . Since 2014 , he works as an Entrepreneur in the Mergers and acquisitions sector and is also a hotel owner . Personal life . Ernst Strasser was born in 1956 as the son of farmers in Upper Austria . After the elementary school in Grieskirchen , he attended the Bundesgymnasium und Sportrealgymnasium HIB Saalfelden and later the upper school in BORG Grieskirchen , where he graduated in 1975 as a school spokesman . Between 1971 and 1975 , he was involved in Catholic youth organisations in Grieskirchen . Ernst Strasser studied Jurisprudence at the University of Salzburg between 1975 and 1980 and graduated there to the Doctor of Laws in 1981 . During his studies he was a member of the main committee of the students union at the University of Salzburg as well as social referent of the same organisation . From 1980 to 1981 he did community service as an alternative to military service . In 1998 , Ernst Strasser was elected President of Hilfswerk Österreich , the largest health care aid organisation in Lower Austria , that provides help for children and adolescents with more than 4000 employees and over 20000 clients . The focus of his term until 2011 was the relocation of the state office in the government district to St . Pölten , the establishment of home service , the establishment of the visit service for older citizens , the opening of the first company kindergarten in Lower Austria , the launch of the Lower Austrian womens telephone as well as the consolidation and securing of financing of the organisation . Ernst Strasser is married with Elisabeth Strasser , who brought two children into the marriage . The couple lives in Vienna and Bad Ischl . Professional career . After completing his military service , Ernst Strasser began his career as a secretary of the Austrian Farmers Association under the former director Josef Riegler . Then he moved to the legal department of the Upper Austrian Farmers Union , where he took over the position of a Federal Minister two years later . After the election of Josef Riegler to the leader of the Austrian Peoples Party , Ernst Strasser followed him and worked as an office manager of the chairman until 1990 . From 1990 to 1991 he was head of strategic planning of Umdasch AG in Amstetten and then from 1991 to 1992 managing director of Shop Concept-Mittelraum ( Umdasch AG ) in Heidelberg . After his retirement as a minister , Ernst Strasser was appointed to the advisory board of the Österreichische Staatsdruckerei . Between 2005 and 2008 Strasser was Managing Partner at VCP Energy Holdings , a subsidiary of Vienna Capital Partners . and from 2006 to 2014 he was Managing Partner at GP-Beteiligungs- und Verwaltung GesmbH . Until March 2011 , Ernst Strasser was also a member of the supervisory board of WESTbahn and G4S . In addition , he has been an authorized representative of SCCB Consulting & Coaching GesmbH since 2016 . In May 2019 , Ernst Strasser took over the hotel Hubertushof in Bad Ischl . Political functions & mandates . From 1983 to 1985 Ernst Strasser was member of the municipal council of Grieskirchen . Between 1993 and 2000 he was member of the Landtag of Lower Austria and also chairman ( 1998-2000 ) of the Austrian Peoples Party ( ÖVP ) in Lower Austria . Between June 2003 and December 2004 , Strasser was member of the Österreich Konvent . From July 2009 to March 2011 Ernst Strasser was head of delegation of the Austrian Peoples Party in the European Parliament . In addition he was representative of Lower Austria on the ORF Board of Trustees . Strasser has also been the president of the Austro-Russian Friendship Society ( Österreichisch-Russische Freundschaftsgesellschaft ) since 2003 . From December 2002 to April 2003 Ernst Strasser was member of the National Council of the Austrian Peoples Party . He was Federal Minister of the Interior of Austria between 2000 and 2004 . He led his party in the 2009 European Parliament election . He was a Member of the European Parliament between 2009 and 2011 . He was sentenced to 4 years jail as consequence of the 2011 cash for laws scandal . Lobbying . Der Standard newspapers investigations in Ernst Strasser found that Strasser has many business holdings and listed some of these activities . Strasser founded Consulting , Coaching & Educating-GesmbH ( CCE ) in 2005 . It is a one-man company 100% owned by Strasser . For the first two years , the CCE recorded a profit of around 380,000 euros . When the newspaper studied the holdings in May 2009 , more recent data was missing from the commercial register . The company owns stakes in various other companies . One company , Business Consulting & Development GmbH , is said to have imported olive oil from Syria . Another company had links to Hungarian bribery investigations . Strassers CCE owns stakes in Russland-Connection Anteile as well as Firmen Advisory Partners ( registered in Innsbruck ) , Konti Holding ( registered in Wien ) and Expert Management Beratung Russia ( registered in Vienna ) . On 20 March 2011 , Britains Sunday Times reported that three MEPs , including Austrias Ernst Strasser , had accepted offers of up to 100,000 euros ( $141,000 ) per year in exchange for proposing amendments in the EU parliament . Austrian vice-chancellor and ÖVP leader Josef Pröll had called for the deputys immediate resignation from all political posts , describing his behaviour as unacceptable . After initially fighting the claims , Strasser announced his resignation on Sunday , noting : I have decided to take this step because there has been a campaign against me in Austria and this was damaging the Peoples Party . On 14 January 2013 , Strasser was sentenced to 4 years jail . Honours and achievements . - 2002 Order of St . Gregory the Great - 2003 Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Sash