The trajectory of the former child prodigy of Austrian politics follows that of a shooting star. In 2017, Sebastian Kurz became the youngest elected leader on the planet at age 31. But the thirty-year-old was forced to leave the political world two years ago, carried away by business. This Wednesday, the rest of his destiny will be written in the legal chronicles. The ex-chancellor appears before the Vienna court for perjury. This trial concerns only part of the charges against Sebastian Kurz. And these are the least serious compared to the corruption aspect, for which the investigation is still ongoing.
The 37-year-old defendant is accused with two other people, according to a press release from the prosecution, of having lied to Parliament, facts punishable by three years of imprisonment. But what do we blame Sebastian Kurz for? In 2020, he denied under oath having intervened in the appointment of a relative, Thomas Schmid, at the head of a public holding company worth billions of euros.
His former friend charges him, another corruption investigation underway
Problem: a year later, investigators got their hands on text messages that he had exchanged in advance with the person concerned. According to the 108-page indictment, the dialogue leaves little room for doubt. In a message accompanied by affectionate emojis, Sebastian Kurz wrote: “You have everything you want”. To which his protégé replied: “I’m so happy, I love my chancellor.”
In Austria, intervening in an appointment process does not constitute an offense in itself. It’s lying under oath before a parliamentary committee that is. According to elements of the file reported by the press, Sebastian Kurz concealed the truth because he had promised voters to break with legal but criticized practices.
He swears he is innocent, but his friend has turned his back. In the hope of a reduced sentence, Thomas Schmid is now cooperating with the courts and intends to testify against him. Justice will summon at least 18 witnesses, including several political figures.
In addition to this trial, Sebastian Kurz is suspected of having misappropriated public funds to commission rigged opinion surveys. The ex-chancellor, retired from political life, swears that he has no desire to return. He is increasing lucrative international collaborations in the private sector, particularly in circles close to Donald Trump. In Israel, he launched a cybersecurity company with the former head of the NSO Group, behind the controversial Pegasus spyware.