The former ÖVP family minister and opinion researcher Sophie Karmasin is once more making negative headlines. She is said to have applied for continued salary payment following the end of her term of office, although she had other income. That’s not entirely clean and Karmasin is said to have left a refund in the meantime, reported the “ZiB2” on Tuesday evening. Karmasin’s lawyer was quoted on the show as saying that the “optics weren’t good” and that a refund was initiated.
Politicians who leave office and have no right to continue gainful employment (no right to return or no right to a mandate) will continue to receive 75 percent of their monthly salary for a maximum of six months upon request. Karmasin is said to have received four monthly payments, which are around 50,000 euros.
Karmasin, who is said to be significantly involved in the ÖVP advertisement affair regarding surveys bought with tax money, is currently in custody because she is said to have obtained orders from the Ministry of Sports with illegal price fixing following her political career. Karmasin billed the ministry for a total of 140,268 euros for two studies.
Studies are reviewed
As can be seen from a recent response to a parliamentary inquiry by the SPÖ by Sports Minister Werner Kogler (Greens), the two Karmasin studies – along with several others – are now being examined by the internal auditors. According to Kogler, they can be found “on the revision plan 2022”.
Karmasin’s first study for the Ministry of Sports on the subject of “Motive Analysis of Movement and Sport”, which she billed in April 2020, had an order volume of 63,600 euros. “The task was to survey a broad target group to find out the reasons why certain groups of people in Austria do or do not do sports. In particular, questions on the subjective perception of advantages and benefits, barriers, offers, campaigns, etc. were asked and evaluated “, Kogler describes the content of the study, which served “internal coordination” in his response to the inquiry. A publication was not planned.