In the affair of the Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP), who resigned due to allegations of corruption, there is apparently an arrest. The Austrian newspapers “Der Standard” and “Die Presse” report unanimously. Accordingly, it is the pollster Sabine B.
She is said to have erased the hard drive of her computer shortly before the house searches last week on suspicion of corruption. The reason for arrest is probably a risk of blackout, writes “Der Standard”. The judiciary wants to investigate this.
[Wenn Sie alle aktuellen Nachrichten live auf Ihr Handy haben wollen, empfehlen wir Ihnen unsere App, die Sie hier für Apple- und Android-Geräte herunterladen können.]
As “Die Presse” further reports, it is suspected that the house search could have been revealed. The Economic and Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (WKStA) did not want to comment on the current developments in the case at the request of the newspaper. The accused’s lawyer was also initially unavailable.
Kurz is under increasing pressure in the affair. Specifically, he is accused of infidelity and aiding and abetting bribery. The affair had triggered a government crisis in Austria. Because of the allegations, the coalition between the conservative ÖVP and the Greens almost collapsed. Kurz finally resigned over the weekend.
Justice bases investigations against Kurz on chats
The investigations that have been initiated are mainly based on chats in which the pollster was also involved. In the past week, several house searches took place in the Federal Chancellery, the Ministry of Finance and the ÖVP party headquarters. It is investigated whether embellished surveys have been circulated since 2016 in order to put Kurz in a good light.
There is a suspicion that these were largely paid for by the Austrian Ministry of Finance and distributed by the media group “Austria” for a lot of money. The circle of suspects in the so-called “advertisement affair” is large. Among other things, it is determined against Kurz’s close confidante, ex-family minister Sophie Karmasin, and the former head of cabinet in the finance ministry, Thomas Schmid. The accused deny all allegations.
The new Federal Chancellor of Austria is the former Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP). In his first government statement on Tuesday, he did not say a word about the investigation against Kurz and did not announce any plans to fight corruption in the country more intensely.
Opposition takes on new Chancellor Schallenberg sharply
The opposition Social Democrats sharply criticized Schallenberg and demanded a clear cut with the conservative power apparatus of his predecessor. Schallenberg should part with all of Kurz’s employees who are suspected of corruption, said SPÖ leader Pamela Rendi-Wagner in the National Council.
So far it seems that the “System Kurz” continues to rule. “He who follows blindly cannot lead,” said the Social Democrat to Schallenberg’s address. The known chats of the ex-chancellor showed a moral picture of unscrupulousness and abuse of power. The right-wing FPÖ also sharply criticized Schallenberg.
According to a survey, the affair is already severely damaging to ÖVP
The crisis has already severely damaged the ÖVP. This is shown in a survey for the Kronen Zeitung. In the Sunday question, the ÖVP would only come to 26 percent under a top candidate Kurz. Most recently, the ÖVP was traded at well over 30 percent. This means that the ÖVP and the social democratic SPÖ, which would grow slightly, are at a similar level for the first time in years.
According to the information, the right-wing FPÖ is benefiting from the developments and has up to 21 percent. According to the survey, Greens and Liberal Neos are largely unchanged at around eleven percent. The new party MFG, which is critical of vaccinations in the coronavirus crisis, would come to parliament with seven percent. As the survey also shows, 48 percent of people in Austria reject early elections, 42 percent are in favor. (lem)
