Trial against ex-chancellor
“We not only got information, we also had a say”: Witness incriminates Sebastian Kurz
Former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz back in Vienna – this time not as a politician, but as a defendant
© Roland Schlager / APA / DPA
Austria’s former chancellor Sebastian Kurz does not want to have been involved in the allocation of positions at the state holding company Öbag. But now his former confidant and Öbag boss is incriminating the defendant.
In the trial, Austria’s former chancellor is accused of allegedly making false statements. As head of government, he is said to have pulled the strings when filling positions for the billion-dollar Öbag, which manages the state-owned company shares. The interrogation of Schmid is considered a particularly important turning point in the proceedings. The 48-year-old was head of the state holding company Öbag from 2019 to 2021. Kurz is said to have played an active role in his appointment as head of government at the time. The former chancellor and his lawyers vehemently deny this. It is said that Kurz was informed but was never involved. The Economic and Corruption Public Prosecutor’s Office (WKStA) accuses him of downplaying his role in his testimony in the parliamentary Ibiza investigative committee in 2020.
Schmid was State Secretary in the Austrian Foreign Ministry, where he met Sebastian Kurz. Schmid then headed the short cabinet before becoming head of Öbag in April 2019. Schmid was one of Kurz’s closest confidants. He is also being investigated in other cases. He is aiming for star witness status.
Support from Sebastian Kurz
During the interrogation, he emphasized that he no longer had anything to do with Sebastian Kurz. Kurz supported him when Schmid wanted to become Öbag boss himself. He had “the support of Mr. Kurz, I was sure he wanted to see me there and he would definitely support me.” If that didn’t work, Schmid wanted to take a top position in René Benko’s insolvent Signa Group. In the end, Schmid made it to the top of Öbag.
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In addition to Schmid, there were other contenders for the top position, as the judges in Vienna demonstrated using chat messages. However, it was unthinkable to distribute the position without the then Chancellor knowing about it and voting on it, Schmid said in the courtroom. But they were all rejected for different reasons.
An exchange of messages with Kurz shows that the ex-Chancellor supported Schmid. “You get everything you want anyway,” Kurz had written to Schmid. The defendant claims that this was criticism of Schmid, who always got his way. Schmid contradicts: The message was a promise. This is also suggested by a text message that the judges read out. In it, Schmid thanked him after his promotion. The fact that Kurz gave him the chance to “prove himself was borderline brilliant.” Without the support, Schmid would not have gotten the position.
Austria’s ex-chancellor confident
The accused ex-chancellor was confident before the negotiations: “I believe that today will open the eyes of some people to the methods used here,” said the 37-year-old. The former finance ministers Gernot Blümel and Hartwig Löger will soon be invited to the trial.
Sources: “The standard“, ORFDPA