2024-02-18 04:07:02
The court hearing against ex-Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) for making false statements in the Ibiza investigative committee is approaching its finale. A verdict in the rather long trial at the Vienna Criminal Court could be made on Friday. Before that, the former board member of the state holding company ÖBAG, Thomas Schmid, should be questioned again. He is confronted with statements from two Russian businessmen who allegedly interviewed him for a job.
Kurz and his former head of cabinet Bernhard Bonelli are accused by the Economic and Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (WKStA) of downplaying his role in filling positions for ÖBAG – specifically for the supervisory board and executive board. Kurz’s statements contradict those of Schmid, who gives the ex-chancellor a central role. Other witnesses saw it more differently, such as ex-ministers Hartwig Löger and Gernot Blümel (both ÖVP).
At the defense’s request, Judge Michael Radasztics admitted two witnesses who were supposed to prove Schmid’s lack of credibility. The ex-ÖBAG boss, who has now fallen out of favor in the ÖVP, is said to have spoken to the two Russian businessmen in Amsterdam about an alleged job. He is also said to have claimed that the WKStA was putting him under pressure because he wanted to become a key witness in the ÖVP survey case.
However, the questioning of the first businessman at the end of January turned into a disaster with a bizarre twist. The witness, who was connected via Zoom from the Austrian embassy in Moscow, became entangled in a number of contradictions. He was therefore unable to conclusively describe how and why Kurz’s lawyers had contacted him. During the questioning it also emerged that defense attorney Otto Dietrich had helped him formulate his affidavit regarding the meeting.
The Russian businessman not only complained about the length of his witness interviews. His colleague, who is also said to have been present at a meeting with Schmid, even canceled at short notice because he felt “unwell”. Judge Radasztics wants to try again on Friday; they are said to be in contact. However, it is quite certain that Schmid will be questioned again, as he could not yet be questioned about the ominous meeting.
If the chairman has his way, it should end on Friday. After the last witness interviews, the pleas from WKStA and the two defense lawyers await. Finally, a judgment should also be made in the single judge case. Giving false evidence is theoretically punishable by up to three years in prison.
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