The Higher Regional Court of Vienna acquitted former Austrian Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz in the case of giving false testimony during questioning in the parliamentary investigative commission. This is reported by Spiegel, writes UNN.
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As reported, in 2020, the then Prime Minister Kurz was questioned by the Ibiza Commission of Inquiry regarding his role in the appointment of members of the supervisory board of the state holding company Öbag. According to the court of first instance, he downplayed his significant influence.
However, according to the Higher Regional Court, Kurz's answers at the time cannot be considered incorrect. After all, he did not give a complete and final statement. Kurz answered in the affirmative to the question of whether he had exerted any influence on the appointment of the Öbag supervisory board. The investigative commission did not explain exactly what this meant, because the time for answering questions had already expired at that moment.
According to reports, in his closing remarks, the former head of government repeatedly emphasized how incomprehensible, from his point of view, the judge's decision was at the time. In his testimony to the investigative committee, he admitted that he did not do everything right.
"I could have prepared better," said the former conservative politician, "but I didn't, and that was a mistake."
Despite the court victory, Kurz remains a defendant in another large-scale investigation, which concerns possible influence on the media through bribery and manipulation of ratings. His associates and representatives of Austrian tabloids are also involved in the case. The key witness is Thomas Schmid, a former trusted official who worked closely with Kurz.
After the verdict was announced, the ex-chancellor expressed relief, but stated that he was a victim of "excessive criticism". Kurz has not yet commented on the current criminal proceedings.