Mensdorff-Pouilly complained that he had not been given a comb or “decent” underwear while in custody.
The Austrian multi-millionaire had been questioned by the UK’s Serious Fraud Office over allegations of bribery and corruption at aerospace company BAE.
But he was awarded the payout from the Government’s Central Funds after the SFO discontinued its inquiries.
On hearing about his compensation the count, whose homes include a London mansion and a Scottish castle, joked to an Austrian magazine: “I would have stayed four weeks had I known that.”
His payout dwarfs those handed out to British war heroes. Charlotte Linacre, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said last night: “The detention was found to be wrong but the payout is utterly extortionate.
“It beggars belief that a millionaire can, without a pang of guilt, take so much taxpayers’ hard-earned cash for a relatively minor mistake.
“Of course a cell will not meet a rich man’s standards but the taxpayer should not be rinsed for so much money. The law doesn’t always get it right but it’s appalling that this foreign millionaire has forced the UK taxpayer to pay out a gigantic sum.”
The 57-year-old count’s windfall was revealed yesterday by his Vienna-based lawyer, Harald Schuster, who admitted his client was “surprised” by the high amount.
He said: “In Austria you would only get about 30 to 50 euros a day in compensation for false imprisonment, which is scandalously low in comparison to what you get in the UK.” Count Mensdorff-Pouilly – a lobbyist married to a former Austrian health minister, Maria Rauch-Kallat – was arrested in March last year.
The lawyer said his client was "surprised" by the large sum and Count Mensdorff-Pouilly reportedly told an Austrian magazine: “I would have stayed four weeks had I known that."
Count Mensdorff-Pouilly, whose wife is a former health minister in Austria, was being investigated over allegations that he was the agent for illegal payments made in return for contracts to deliver fighter jets produced by BAE Systems to central and eastern European countries. He denies any wrongdoing.
The company agreed to pay a total of £287million to authorities in Britain and the United States after admitting criminal charges.
Mr Schuster said: "My client has been awarded the compensation from City of Westminster Magistrates Court - The money comes from 'Central Funds' - I presume that is from the taxpayers’ money.
"In Austria you would only get about 30 to 50 Euros a day maximum in compensation for false imprisonment, which is scandalously low in comparison to what you get in the UK."
The Austrian, who is married to former People’s Party (OVP) Health Minister Maria Rauch-Kallat, reportedly told Austrian magazine Format: "I would have stayed four weeks had I known that.
The count, who had denied all charges, was cleared after the SFO decided it was “no longer in the public interest to continue the investigation into the conduct of individuals”. Shortly after his release, he told the Austrian magazine News: “Human rights are not respected in custody in England, in contrast to Austria where things happen in a correct way in this regard.”
He also said at the time: “I wasn’t given decent underwear, despite having asked for it several times. And they didn’t give me a comb.”
Count Mensdorff-Pouilly was successful in asking for a vaccination against hepatitis B “after I discovered stubble in the used disposable razor I was given”.
Yesterday Mr Schuster claimed his team had secured the compensation by pursuing legal action at the City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
“It was then verified by the court and we were notified of how much compensation my client would receive,” he added.
Mr Schuster said he would continue fighting to prove attempts by Austrian prosecutors to keep examining the case against his client was a breach of European Union law.
The count lives in a spacious hunting lodge in the remote Austrian town of Luising and also has a home in Vienna. His Scottish residence, Dalnaglar Castle in Glenshee, Perthshire, was commissioned by Lord Clyde, Queen Victoria’s banker, from what was a 16th century hunting lodge.
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