Austria: Former confidante puts a heavy burden on ex-Chancellor Kurz
Austria
Close comrade-in-arms heavily burdens ex-Chancellor Kurz in corruption scandal
For fifteen days, an ex-confidant of Sebastian Kurz testified about the corruption scandal in Austria. According to Thomas Schmid, the chancellor at the time himself commissioned the embellished polls.
Former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz is heavily implicated in a corruption affair by one of his closest comrades-in-arms. Thomas Schmid, the former head of the state holding company ÖBAG, had testified for a total of fifteen days in the Economic and Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (WKStA) since June, the authority announced on Tuesday in Vienna. According to excerpts from the interrogation protocols published by several media outlets, Schmid said that he was commissioned by Kurz to circulate the embellished surveys that were used with taxpayers’ money.
The public prosecutor’s office had already investigated the suspicion that Schmid, Kurz and others were involved in a survey affair. According to the released minutes, Schmid, who once also served as chief of cabinet at the Treasury Department, has now confirmed that the Treasury Department placed advertisements in a newspaper, which in turn published manipulated polls. The surveys were also partially covered by the Ministry of Finance. According to the public prosecutor’s office, this construction, known as a “tool”, was developed to pave the way for Kurz to become the ÖVP party leader and the chancellor’s office in 2017.
Chancellor Kurz is said to have given the order
“It is very important for me to emphasize that I only implemented this tool because I received the order from Kurz,” Schmid said, according to extracts from the minutes published by the public broadcaster ORF and the editor-in-chief of the weekly newspaper “Falter”. became. Kurz’ lawyer Werner Suppan enters the statements. “His allegations are false and that will be proven,” he said.
The corruption hunters’ investigations were triggered by a covert video shot in Ibiza. In it, the then right-wing FPÖ boss Heinz-Christian Strache gave the impression of venality. The video was published in 2019 after the coalition between the conservative Chancellor Party ÖVP and the FPÖ broke.
Statements by Schmid lead to house searches
According to the public prosecutor’s office, Schmid’s statements also led to house searches at two companies on Tuesday on suspicion of bribery, corruption and abuse of office. A large real estate company, which according to media reports was also searched, did not respond to a request from the German Press Agency.
Other sources:WKStA press release.