On Wednesday, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz confirmed during a press conference that he and his chief of staff Bernhard Bonelli are being investigated by the Economic and Corruption Prosecutor’s Office for making false statements before a parliamentary committee. While Kurz has denied all the allegations made against him, he said that he will continue to cooperate with the anti-corruption authorities.
Kurz said that the charges are regarding his statement made during the parliamentary committee’s investigation of the “Ibiza-gate” scandal, which occurred in his previous tenure, during which he had formed a coalition between his conservatives and the Freedom Party. The controversy resulted in the collapse of the Kurz-led government in 2019 and the resignation of his vice-chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache.
It was instigated by a sting video recording in Ibiza in the run-up to the 2017 elections, which showed Strache and deputy party leader Johann Gudenus offering to “fix contracts” with a purported Russian investor, who in exchange promised to ensure positive coverage of the parliamentary elections if she was able to buy the Kronen Zeitung, an Austrian tabloid company. Following the controversy and the collapse of the government, Kurz formed a coalition with the Greens and was once again re-elected as Chancellor in 2020.
The recent anti-corruption investigation is in relation to the appointment of Thomas Schmid, a party loyalist, as the head of Öbag, a state-run company that is responsible for looking over 11 companies that are partially or entirely owned by the Austrian government. Kurz told commission investigators that he was not involved in Schmid’s confirmation and that the decision was made by the company’s board looking at his qualifications. He further claimed that he did not recall supporting Schmid’s appointment either. However, following his statement, there were text messages between the two that showed Kurz promising Schmid “everything you want, anyway,” bringing into question the veracity of his previous remarks.
According to Austrian laws, lying under oath could result in a jail sentence of three years. However, Kurz maintains that while he had “always tried” to answer questions truthfully, several questions were regarding incidents that had occurred “on the peripheries.” Moreover, he said that the investigation had been “heated” and that witnesses were being “pushed into making false statements” by being made to answer “leading questions and sometimes even insinuations.” Further, he added that he was not ready to resign as Austria’s Chancellor and could not “imagine that with the best will in the world.”
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz Admits to Being Investigated by Anti-Corruption Body
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz is currently being investigated by the country’s anti-corruption body for making false statements before a parliamentary committee.
May 13, 2021
SOURCE: AFP