Austrian ex-chancellor charged with giving false testimony
Sebastian Kurz and his former chief of staff, Bernhard Bonelli, are accused of giving false testimony before parliament
18 August 2023 - 15:23
byFriederike Heine
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. Picture: LISA LEUTNER
Berlin — Former Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz has been charged with giving false testimony before parliament, the Austrian prosecutor’s office for economic crimes and corruption said on Friday.
The conservative politician and his former chief of staff, Bernhard Bonelli, are accused of giving false testimony before the Ibiza committee of inquiry in the Austrian parliament “regarding the alleged corruptibility of his government,” the office said in a statement.
Commenting before the indictment was announced, Kurz denied the accusations, saying on social media platform X: “We look forward to the truth finally coming to light and the accusations turning out to be groundless.”
His trial will begin on October 18 and if found guilty, Kurz — former leader of the conservative People’s Party — could face up to three years in prison, a Vienna court said in a statement.
The case centres on the question of whether Kurz answered truthfully in parliamentary committee hearings in 2020 and 2021 when asked about appointments to state holding company OBAG.
Kurz left office in 2021 after prosecutors placed him and nine others under investigation on suspicion of breach of trust, corruption and bribery with various levels of involvement.
In 2019, Kurz’s vice-chancellor, former far-right leader Heinz-Christian Strache, quit over a video of him in Ibiza with a woman posing as a Russian oligarch’s niece, apparently offering to fix state contracts and explaining how to dodge party financing laws.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer weighed in on the case on Friday ahead of the indictment’s release, saying, “If this is the case, then we finally have the opportunity ... to strive for and achieve clarification.”
Since leaving office, Kurz has been working as a global strategist for tech investor Thiel Capital.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Austrian ex-chancellor charged with giving false testimony
Sebastian Kurz and his former chief of staff, Bernhard Bonelli, are accused of giving false testimony before parliament
Berlin — Former Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz has been charged with giving false testimony before parliament, the Austrian prosecutor’s office for economic crimes and corruption said on Friday.
The conservative politician and his former chief of staff, Bernhard Bonelli, are accused of giving false testimony before the Ibiza committee of inquiry in the Austrian parliament “regarding the alleged corruptibility of his government,” the office said in a statement.
Commenting before the indictment was announced, Kurz denied the accusations, saying on social media platform X: “We look forward to the truth finally coming to light and the accusations turning out to be groundless.”
His trial will begin on October 18 and if found guilty, Kurz — former leader of the conservative People’s Party — could face up to three years in prison, a Vienna court said in a statement.
The case centres on the question of whether Kurz answered truthfully in parliamentary committee hearings in 2020 and 2021 when asked about appointments to state holding company OBAG.
Kurz left office in 2021 after prosecutors placed him and nine others under investigation on suspicion of breach of trust, corruption and bribery with various levels of involvement.
In 2019, Kurz’s vice-chancellor, former far-right leader Heinz-Christian Strache, quit over a video of him in Ibiza with a woman posing as a Russian oligarch’s niece, apparently offering to fix state contracts and explaining how to dodge party financing laws.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer weighed in on the case on Friday ahead of the indictment’s release, saying, “If this is the case, then we finally have the opportunity ... to strive for and achieve clarification.”
Since leaving office, Kurz has been working as a global strategist for tech investor Thiel Capital.
Reuters
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Most Read
Published by Arena Holdings and distributed with the Financial Mail on the last Thursday of every month except December and January.