Wiener Zeitung (09/01/04)



The Claims Committee of the General Settlement Fund, responsible for compensating the loss of personal wealth of NS victims, announced having processed more than one hundred cases


Delay in disbursing the 210 million dollars worth of payments from the Fund has two reasons: First of all, the 20,000 applications are still being processed so that the money can be distributed fairly; secondly, there first has to be legal peace since two of the class action suits are still pending and must either no longer continue to be pursued or defeated.

The British lawyer, Sir Franklin Berman, Head of the Claims Committee, repudiated recent demands for an interim payment: "According to law an interim payment is not possible." In view of the claimants’ age, the three-head Committee - apart from Berman and Kurt Hofmann from Austria and recently Vivian Curran instead of Robert Rosenstock from the U.S. - is making strong efforts to accelerate the proceedings. Berman is clear: The funds can offer "nothing more than a piece”" of justice.