It remains very popular in Austria. Former Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz has been charged with “false testimony” and is scheduled for trial on October 18 in connection with corruption cases that have rocked Austria. On October 23, the Vienna District Court will rule on the former leader and nine others. He faces up to three years in prison.
The wise-child-faced ultra-conservative Kurz experienced a meteoric rise to become the youngest elected leader on the planet in late 2017, leading a coalition with the far right. The conservative politician and his former chief of staff, Bernhard Bonelli, have been accused of lying to an Austrian parliamentary commission of inquiry “regarding the alleged corruption of his government”, according to a statement from the Financial Crime Prosecutor’s Office.
The deputies asked them if they interfered in the appointment of a relative of Thomas Schmid as head of the state holding company ÖBAG. At that time, ÖBAG managed the shares of the Austrian state in eleven large companies, and the remuneration for this position was 500,000 euros per year.
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The former chancellor has denied any role since the press revelations. But in the spring of 2021, correspondence between the two men was leaked to the press, suggesting they discussed it. In a message accompanied by a gentle emoji, Kurtz wrote: “You have everything you want. To which Schmid replied: “I am so happy. I love my chancellor. »
In the confusion, Kurz resigned as chancellor to return to his seat as an MP. He then wanted to maintain control of the People’s Party and appointed his successor, Alexander Schallenberg, from among his relatives. But other revelations forced him to resign for no reason: two influential Austrian tabloids would receive state money in exchange for publishing flattering articles and enthusiastic polls about Kurz. The case is still ongoing. After his disgrace, the ambitious thirty-year-old man claims to have retired from politics forever. He works as a global strategist for technology investor Thiel Capital.
In a statement released on X (formerly Twitter) shortly before his indictment was announced, Sebastian Kurz said he was “a little surprised” by the prosecution’s “inevitable” decision, “despite 30 acquittals.” “The accusations are false and we are looking forward to the truth coming out (…) in court,” he wrote.
Source: Le Parisien
I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.
