Udo Proksch
Encyclopedia
Udo Proksch was an Austria
n businessman and industrialist. In 1991, he was convicted of the murder of six people as part of a major insurance fraud
. Proksch died in prison.
In 1977, the ship Lucona
sank in the Indian Ocean
, after an explosion, killing six people. Proksch, the owner of the cargo, also then owner of famous Viennese confectioners' Demel
, claimed US$20 million from his insurance company, saying that the ship was carrying expensive uranium
mining
equipment. Lucona was located by American shipwreck hunter David Mearns
, revealing that the ship had been sunk by a time bomb
. Fraud was suspected; but investigations were obstructed by powerful Austrian politicians, who were friends of Proksch.
Several ex-Ministers were eventually convicted over their involvement. The ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs was sentenced for forging documents authenticating the cargo. Two other Ministers were dismissed for obstructing the investigations. The Minister of Defense, a shareholder in the Proksch firm, had given permission to deliver explosives to sabotage the ship and committed suicide when that became clear.
In 1988, Proksch fled to the Philippines
after Hans Pretterebner published a book about the scandal. Proksch stayed at the palace of his personal friend, the dictator Ferdinand Marcos
.
In 1989, he returned to Vienna
, incognito, but was recognized and arrested. On March 11, 1991, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison. A year later, the sentence was increased to a lifelong term in prison. He died on June 27, 2001, during heart surgery.
Proksch was the first husband of the actress Daphne Wagner, daughter of Wieland Wagner
, great-granddaughter of the composer Richard Wagner
and great-great-granddaughter of Franz Liszt
.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n businessman and industrialist. In 1991, he was convicted of the murder of six people as part of a major insurance fraud
Insurance fraud
Insurance fraud is any act committed with the intent to fraudulently obtain payment from an insurer.Insurance fraud has existed ever since the beginning of insurance as a commercial enterprise. Fraudulent claims account for a significant portion of all claims received by insurers, and cost billions...
. Proksch died in prison.
In 1977, the ship Lucona
Lucona
Lucona was an old ship sunk in the Indian Ocean in 1977 by a bomb planted by Austrian businessman Udo Proksch, as part of an insurance fraud. Proksch, the owner of the cargo, also then owner of famous Viennese confectioners Demel, claimed US$20 million from his insurance company, saying that the...
sank in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
, after an explosion, killing six people. Proksch, the owner of the cargo, also then owner of famous Viennese confectioners' Demel
Demel
Hofzuckerbäckerei Demel, or simply Der Demel, is a famous pastry shop and chocolatier in Vienna, Austria. It was founded in 1786 on the Michaelerplatz. In 1857, August Dehne gave the company to Christof Demel, who moved the bakery to the Kohlmarkt, where the Demel is still located today in its...
, claimed US$20 million from his insurance company, saying that the ship was carrying expensive uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
equipment. Lucona was located by American shipwreck hunter David Mearns
David Mearns
David Louis Mearns, born circa 1958, is a United States-born marine scientist and deep water search and recovery expert, long resident in the United Kingdom. He is famous for locating the wrecks of several ships lost during World War II...
, revealing that the ship had been sunk by a time bomb
Time bomb
A time bomb is a bomb whose detonation is triggered by a timer. The use time bombs has been for various purposes ranging from insurance fraud to warfare to assassination; however, the most common use has been for politically-motivated terrorism.-Construction:The explosive charge is the main...
. Fraud was suspected; but investigations were obstructed by powerful Austrian politicians, who were friends of Proksch.
Several ex-Ministers were eventually convicted over their involvement. The ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs was sentenced for forging documents authenticating the cargo. Two other Ministers were dismissed for obstructing the investigations. The Minister of Defense, a shareholder in the Proksch firm, had given permission to deliver explosives to sabotage the ship and committed suicide when that became clear.
In 1988, Proksch fled to the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
after Hans Pretterebner published a book about the scandal. Proksch stayed at the palace of his personal friend, the dictator Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
.
In 1989, he returned to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, incognito, but was recognized and arrested. On March 11, 1991, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison. A year later, the sentence was increased to a lifelong term in prison. He died on June 27, 2001, during heart surgery.
Proksch was the first husband of the actress Daphne Wagner, daughter of Wieland Wagner
Wieland Wagner
Wieland Wagner was a German opera director.- Life :Wieland was the elder of two sons of Siegfried and Winifred Wagner and grandson of composer Richard Wagner....
, great-granddaughter of the composer Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
and great-great-granddaughter of Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
.
Works about Proksch and the Lucona case
- 1988: Hans Pretterebner published a book about the Lucona case, Der Fall Lucona.
- 1993: A film about the Lucona case (starring David SuchetDavid SuchetDavid Suchet, CBE, is an English actor, known for his work on British television. He is recognised for his RTS- and BPG award-winning performance as Augustus Melmotte in the 2001 British TV mini-drama The Way We Live Now, alongside Matthew Macfadyen and Paloma Baeza, and a 1991 British Academy...
) is released. - 2004: The art group monochromMonochrommonochrom is an international art-technology-philosophy group, founded in 1993. Its offices are located at Museumsquartier/Vienna ....
stages Udo 77, a musical about the life of Udo Proksch. - 2010: A documentary about Proksch, entitled Udo Proksch: Out of Control and directed by Robert DornhelmRobert DornhelmRobert Dornhelm is an Austrian film and television director of Romanian ancestry. He has worked on numerous television programmes and has also released such movies as Echo Park, The Venice Project, Der Unfisch, and A Further Gesture...
is released.