He is said not only to have knowledge of the Signa Group’s tax procedures, but also to have been involved. He already denied any guilt in his opening statement. “I know that I have nothing to blame myself for, except that I didn’t see through a person I worked with,” said Müller regarding Thomas Schmid, without mentioning him by name.
Müller and Schmid as an “intervention force”?
Müller, who was finance minister in the “expert government” under Chancellor Brigitte Bierlein, has so far rejected attempts to intervene on Benko’s behalf. A few weeks ago, a finance official testified in the committee that the former Secretary General in the Finance Ministry Thomas Schmid and his then deputy Müller in the BMF had acted as “twins” like a “reaction force”.
Müller himself “might never have imagined that personal advantages would guide actions,” he continued in this context. Before being questioned by the MPs, he said that he would “of course do everything possible to help clarify the matter”, although he had not been with the BMF for four years. “There is no need for explanation or explanation that my memory is limited. I will not be able to remember some details if they do not support me accordingly.” He is also listed as a suspect in a WKStA case, which is why he cannot say anything regarding it.
“Feel-good program” for billionaires
The brief questioning by the trial judge initially asked whether he had ever had contact with Benko. He met him once in his office, “it was a 20-minute appointment” and it was regarding Benko’s complaints regarding the length of the proceedings. The judge also questioned Müller regarding Signa’s move from Vienna to Innsbruck in 2018, six months before the “absolute statute of limitations”. He didn’t see anything special regarding it; following all, the outgoing tax office had agreed to it, and the receiving tax office in Innsbruck “I don’t think had much fun with it.”
The representatives of the parliamentary groups saw things differently before today’s surveys began. Green Party leader Nina Tomaselli established a “feel-good program” for billionaires in the Ministry of Finance under Müller’s aegis. A lot of effort has been made to ensure special treatment for them. For example, Müller intervened several times in the Benko case at the Innsbruck tax office. Tomaselli was curious to see how Müller would answer for this today.
The “other twin half”
Müller is also an “exciting” person to provide information for the Neos because he is a “central figure”. Faction leader Yannick Shetty called him the “other twin half” of ex-ÖBAG boss Thomas Schmid when it came to interventions for billionaires. From NEOS’s point of view, Müller has the opportunity today to refute the allegations. If he doesn’t succeed, he will have to resign from office, said Shetty: “We also want to hold the Greens accountable.”
Also the blue faction leader Christian Hafenecker (FPÖ) sees Müller as a twin of Schmid. He was in close contact with Benko and gave him extra treatment. In this respect, Hafenecker believes that he was also complicit in the Signa bankruptcy.
Application for a penalty
The entrepreneur René Benko was actually invited for this morning. However, he canceled yesterday evening and the SPÖ will now apply for a penalty and a new summons, which found support from the other factions – including the ÖVP. SPÖ parliamentary group leader Jan Krainer was confident that Benko might be summoned and questioned once more before the end of the U-Committee, but admitted that they were dependent on the Federal Administrative Court when it came to coercive measures.
The ÖVP parliamentary group leader explained that the matter is seen in a more “differentiated manner”. Andreas Hanger and meant that one might understand Benko’s non-appearance due to the ongoing criminal investigation. But we will support all sanction measures once morest Benko, “because we don’t put up with the approach,” said Hanger.
At 2 p.m. another tax officer is invited. She was also involved in the tax audit of Signa Holding.
