Tiroler Tageszeitung, editorial from March 29, 2023. By Denise Daum: "Political assumption of guilt".

Innsbruck (OTS) – The WKStA’s investigations into Innsbruck’s mayor are no surprise. The cause is exploited with relish by his opponents. The presumption of innocence applies to Georg Willi: but only the legal one.

Willi, it’s over.” The FPÖ finds the saying very ingenious. In inflationary terms, the Freedom Party is calling on the mayor of Innsbruck to resign. So, of course, after it became known that the Economic and Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (WKStA) had initiated investigations into breach of trust and abuse of office against Willi. After several parties submitted statements of facts to the public prosecutor’s office or WKStA against the mayor because of the special contracts for his ex-head of human resources, the authority had to investigate the allegations. Even if she emphasizes that Willi is listed as a suspect, not an accused.
The parliamentary group “For Innsbruck” announced smugly that Mayor Georg Willi will probably now put his office on hold – as did the green municipal councilor Gerhard Fritz after a control committee report on Pema 2 was followed by the allegation of infidelity.
As a Green, Georg Willi has to put up with the political exploitation of the cause. After all, his party is known for its discipline and moral sermons. It was also the Greens who demanded a “blameless person” from the ÖVP as Chancellor in the place of Sebastian Kurz in 2021 after he was investigated, among other things, on suspicion of corruption. One of the reasons why the ÖVP’s investigations against Willi are particularly happy: it’s finally hitting the others. The list of ÖVP politicians who are currently being investigated or have been investigated in the past is long. Reporting, as it is commonly known, became a policy tool at the federal level. The involvement of prosecutors always creates a big fuss. If the investigations are then stopped, as is usually the case, this is only a side note. However, the reputation of those displayed is damaged.
The fact that a politician is being investigated cannot per se be a reason for resignation. The legal presumption of innocence, as trite as it may sound, must also apply to politicians. The situation is different with the presumption of political innocence: that no longer applies to Mayor Georg Willi. Missteps such as the breaking up of the coalition, the dissolution of the personnel office in violation of municipal law, the distribution of highly endowed special contracts or the failure to achieve majorities for important projects have lastingly shaken the trust in Georg Willi.