The founder of the private military company “Blackwater” was brought before Austrian justice

The founder of the private military company “Blackwater” Eric Prince, an ardent supporter of former US President Donald Trump, appeared today at a court hearing in an Austrian court in connection with suspicions of illegal export of military aircraft, France Press reported.
Fifty-four-year-old Prince is accused of violating Austrian military equipment laws, which prohibit the export of such equipment without the necessary authorization.
According to the prosecutor’s office, Eric Prince used the services of the company “Airborne Technologies” to convert two aircraft intended for agricultural purposes so that they could be used for military purposes. One aircraft was sent to South Sudan in 2014, and the second to Bulgaria in 2015.
Eric Prince pleaded not guilty on the first day of the trial in the regional court of Wiener Neustadt, an Austrian city located an hour’s drive from the capital Vienna and where Airborne Technologies is based.
Prince could be sentenced to up to three years in prison. There are four other defendants in the case.
The next court hearing is expected to take place in the middle of next month.