U-Committee in Austria investigates allegations of corruption against ÖVP
Parliament has set up a committee of inquiry to examine allegations of corruption against the Chancellor’s party ÖVP.
the essentials in brief
- The U-Committee was set up on Thursday evening at the request of the opposition.
- He should investigate the way from Kurz to the top of the ÖVP and the government.
The Austrian parliament has set up a committee of inquiry to examine allegations of corruption against the conservative chancellor party ÖVP. The U-Committee was set up on Thursday evening at the request of the opposition. It is about the question of “who bears the political responsibility for the fact that in our country in recent years an alleged system of corruption and abuse of power has become the central instrument of government policy”, it says in the application of the Social Democrats, the right wing FPÖ and the liberal neos.
Sebastian Kurz resigned as Chancellor at the beginning of October after prosecutors ordered searches of the Chancellery, the ÖVP headquarters and the Ministry of Finance. The investigators have, among other things, the suspicion that. Kurz and his leadership circle necessary manipulated opinion polls with the help of diverted taxpayers’ money. Kurz, who denies the allegations, resigned as party leader last week and resigned his parliamentary mandate this week. The U Committee now wants to take a close look at its methods on the way and the top of the ÖVP and the government.
Preliminary proceedings against Sebastian Kurz are ongoing
A previous committee had investigated the alleged negotiability of the previous ÖVP-FPÖ government. The parties each came to different conclusions. An investigation is also underway against Kurz because of the suspicion of a false statement in this so-called Ibiza Committee. During his questioning in parliament, Kurz is said to have downplayed his role in a high-ranking position in a gambling company. Kurz denies that.
In contrast to the German Bundestag, committees of inquiry in the Austrian National Council are not public. The media are only allowed to report in writing. Sound and image recordings are prohibited. Recently, it was repeatedly requested that the public should also be allowed to participate in the surveys. In addition, it is stipulated that the President of the National Council always chairs a U-Committee. He can only delegate this task to a deputy himself. The President of the National Council, Wolfgang Sobotka (ÖVP), as a former Minister of the Interior, is also the focus of the new committee.
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