Process against brothers: Hawala scandal in Vienna-Ottakring exposes towing!

Process against brothers: Hawala scandal in Vienna-Ottakring exposes towing!

Am 6. June 2025 , a spectacular trial against two brothers and the second wife of the older accused began at the Vienna Regional Court. The trio that Syrian roots has is suspected of having been working in one of the largest Hawala offices in Austria. Until their arrests, the accused operated a restaurant in Vienna-Ottakring, from which August 2021 and at the end of March 2024 payments for hundreds of tractor trips were processed, such as KURIER.

The 41-year-old main accused, who was considered the managing director of the restaurant and is also known as the "boss", got into the gunfire of the public prosecutor together with his younger brother and his 45-year-old second wife. According to the investigation, they operated “in a very, very large style” and transported several million euros in cash on 21 trips in the first quarter of 2024. Part of the money was even hidden in the house of the second woman in Vienna-Floridsdorf.

Hawala and its background

The Hawala payment system with which the accused operated remains the main remedy for many migrants to transfer money. Hawala is based on a centuries -old, trust -based system that was originally developed by dealers to protect themselves from road robbers on the dangerous trade routes of the Middle Ages, such as the Silk Road. Al Bawaba explains that the increasing migration from the Middle East, triggered by the Syrian conflict, has increased significantly.

The system works off-the-books and therefore often remains under the radar of governments and banks. At Hawala, money is handed over to a local confidante, the so -called “Hawaladar”. This informs a partner in the target region who finally pays the money to the recipient. This trust approach is still estimated today, especially with the support of families in the home country.

The allegations and the reaction of the accused

Despite the allegations raised against them, the accused did not owe guilty. Her defense lawyer pointed out that the public prosecutor wanted to combat the Hawala system and argued that the investigating authorities could not find sufficient evidence of criminal behavior year after year.

From the various aspects of the HAWALA system, it is particularly interesting that during criminal activities only a small part of the entire Hawala transactions, the system is considered an unauthorized financial transfer business due to the lack of licenses in the EU. Experts from Tagesschau emphasize that an estimated 200 billion US dollars are transferred via Hawala networks, this system is used by both criminal and aid organizations.

Currently it remains to be seen how the process will develop and what effects this will have on the understanding and regulation of Hawala in Europe.