An Austrian court has found former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz guilty of making false statements to a parliamentary enquiry and sentenced him to an eight-month suspended prison term.
Kurz was convicted of misleading a parliamentary enquiry into widespread corruption scandals that led to the collapse of his first coalition government in 2019.
He was accused of downplaying his influence over the appointment of key officials, including the head of state holding company OeBAG.
Throughout the 12-day trial, which began in October, Kurz portrayed himself as a victim of selective prosecution and opposition seeking to “destroy him.” Nevertheless, the verdict marked the end of a months-long trial of the former politician.
Kurz said that while he was informed of the appointment of key officials, he did not make the decision to appoint them. He rejected prosecutors’ suggestions that he tried to control key appointments.
Thomas Schmid, Kurz’s chief executive, testified that Kurz actually held the reins of power and could veto any personnel appointments at key companies. Other witnesses included two former finance ministers who supported Kurz, as well as two Russian businessmen who appeared via video conference from the Austrian embassy in Moscow, who testified as defence witnesses to discredit Schmid.
Prosecutors are also continuing to investigate Kurz on suspicion of embezzling public funds to finance polls and pay for favourable coverage, but they have so far failed to secure a conviction in the case.
The investigation began in 2019 after a video surfaced showing Kurz’s then vice chancellor – a representative of the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) – offering state contracts to an alleged Russian investor for help with his election campaign.
The FPOe’s popularity plummeted after the scandal, but under the new leadership it has returned to the top of the polls. It is currently gaining around 30 percent of the vote ahead of elections due in September.
Despite the court verdict, Kurz maintained he would appeal the verdict: “I find this part of the ruling very unfair,” he stressed after the ruling. “We have appealed and I am very optimistic that we will receive a ruling in our favour in the second instance.”
