Austria's central bank said Tuesday it has suspended deputy chairman Wolfgang Duchatczek after prosecutors charged him and eight others last week with alleged bribery, money-laundering and breach of trust. "The board will decide on what further steps to take at its next meeting on June 27 following further assessment of the matter," the OeNB said in a statement.
Duchatczek, as well as top officials from the Austrian Mint and the OeNB'S money-printing subsidiary, is accused of bribing Azerbaijani and Syrian officials to win contracts between 2005 and 2011. Duchatczek, 63, who had in any case been due to step down in July, was unavailable for comment last week but has rejected the accusations in the past.