An application for a compulsory sentence is being examined, he told journalists on Tuesday. The ÖVP wanted to invite FPÖ chairman Herbert Kickl’s former head of cabinet, Reinhard Teufel, to meet on Thursday. This second day of questioning by the U-Committee now appears to have been canceled completely. Teufel, who is also the blue club leader in the Lower Austrian state parliament and therefore a coalition partner of the ÖVP, was initially supposed to be invited tomorrow, Wednesday, but the ÖVP said goodbye to this idea “due to the files”. Since Friday they have been trying to load it for next Thursday. Since then, Teufel has been at the diving station and cannot be reached by the parliamentary directorate.
Hanger: “Examine System Kickl”
In general, Hanger spoke of a “Kickl system” that they wanted to investigate. It was characterized by “double standards, hypocrisy and favoritism”. On Wednesday, the ÖVP wants to question Wolfgang Peschorn, the head of the financial prosecution, who was also a guest on the COFAG-U committee. Peschorn was interim interior minister following the end of the black-blue coalition. Hanger wants to question him regarding an audit report that deals with Kickl’s cabinet and the salaries of employees there, as well as the staff of Kickl’s former general secretary Peter Goldgruber. This also comes as an information person. The head of internal audit at the Ministry of the Interior is also invited.
“Privileged barracks par excellence”
Hanger spoke of “exorbitant” salaries of up to 15,000 euros gross because overtime was paid in full instead of a flat rate. “If you look at it, it’s the privilege bar par excellence,” he said. The ÖVP also wants to address Teufel’s use of a company car. The contacts of the ex-banker Jan Marsalek, who was confronted with espionage allegations, with Kickl are another issue for Hanger, and he also wants to stick to the FPÖ finance case in Styria.
Hanger’s bottom line was that the FPÖ “was not capable of governing in the past and will not be capable of governing in the future either.” When asked, he explained that this was aimed at “the person Kickl”.
