A year ago, Kurz resigned as chancellor because of allegations that his followers had bought benevolent reporting with advertisements, paid for with taxpayers’ money. Now the central actor has made a confession, putting Austria’s conservatives under pressure.
According to the witness, Austria’s former chancellor Sebastian Kurz gave the order for the unfair machinations.
The interrogation of a former high official by the corruption prosecutors in Austria has given several affairs that have been smoldering for months additional explosiveness. The focus is on allegations against former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz in the so-called advertising affair, which forced him to resign a year ago. A circle around Kurz is said to have bought benevolent reporting from the Austrian media company of the Fellner brothers from 2016 to at least 2018 with advertisements. Partly manipulated polls should make Kurz look good and his inner-party opponents look bad in order to prepare the ground for the takeover of power in the conservative ÖVP.
Tax money is said to have flowed for manipulated surveys
The suspicion that money was used by the Ministry of Finance and flowed to the Fellners weighs particularly heavily. According to the prosecutors’ interpretation, Kurz was not directly involved in the actions, but instigated them and was the beneficiary. The former chancellor has always denied this account.
The chat messages from Thomas Schmid, who worked under several ministers between 2013 and 2019 as head of cabinet and general secretary in the Ministry of Finance, proved to be a treasure trove for the prosecutors. It was announced on Tuesday that Schmid had offered himself to the investigators as a key witness and that the judiciary had already extensively questioned the former official.
Fifteen all-day interrogations have already taken place, and the 454-page interrogation protocol that became public on Tuesday evening has shaken Austria’s domestic politics. Schmid said he had been commissioned by Kurz to tweak the polls. He also admitted that he had supported “the progress of the ÖVP under Sebastian Kurz” with the resources and structures of the Ministry of Finance. While still in the Foreign Ministry and not at the head of the party, Kurz himself did not have the appropriate funds at his disposal. According to Schmid, the former Chancellor was aware that the procedure could only be paid for through the Ministry of Finance.
During the 2017 election campaign, advertisements by the ministry were placed in various media, which, according to the ex-chancellor’s spokesman at the time, “were to be booked on short notice”, as Schmid says. This meant that Kurz could also determine the “quid pro quo” in the form of reporting at the Austrian media group.
Schmid’s descriptions substantiate the accusation of embezzlement that came up through his chats, on the basis of which the corruption prosecutor’s office is also investigating against Kurz. Other exponents of the ÖVP are also burdened by the statements. The current President of the National Council, Wolfgang Sobotka, is said to have intervened with Schmid about tax audits at foundations close to the ÖVP. He asked for that to be done – which, according to Schmid, also happened “in the interests of Sobotka”.
The parliamentary group leader of the party, August Wöginger, also approached the then secretary-general in the Ministry of Finance and wanted a party-politically motivated position to be filled in his home state. Schmid complied with the knowledge of the ÖVP finance minister at the time, although he had not dealt with the professional suitability of the man.
Key witness has the prospect of a lighter sentence
How should Schmid’s information be classified? The thought is obvious that he is plotting revenge. After all, he was dropped by his former companions in the ÖVP after the sometimes very embarrassing and personal chat messages became public. In a last personal meeting after the house search a year ago, Kurz demanded that he take all the blame and sign a corresponding statement, Schmid said. However, he didn’t.
Of even greater importance, however, is the fact that Schmid could remain unpunished for his own actions if the public prosecutor’s office granted him the status of a key witness. According to experts, he would probably have to make a financial contribution, but would avoid a possible prison sentence. The investigators must be convinced that Schmid made his statements voluntarily. These must also bring significant new insights to light.
All of the people charged with Schmid’s confession, including Kurz, took this line. On his Facebook page, he vehemently denied the allegations on Wednesday. Schmid is only concerned with obtaining leniency status and remaining unpunished himself. There is no evidence for his statements, although the public prosecutor’s office has been investigating for a year. The ex-chancellor’s lawyer also gave the authorities the tape recording of a phone call between his client and Schmid last fall, which is intended to exonerate Kurz. In it, he asks how one came to the conclusion that he commissioned the machinations with the manipulated surveys. “They build their own stories together,” Schmid replies, according to the transcript available to the media.
The public prosecutor’s office must now examine Schmid’s credibility and his motives – with the outcome currently being completely open. After all, Kurz himself seems to be expecting an indictment, as he writes in his statement that he is looking forward to proving his innocence “in court”.
However, it is clear that the damage to the ÖVP is great. The party leader and current Chancellor Karl Nehammer said on Wednesday that the allegations had to be fully clarified, but that they related to the past. That’s true about Kurz; and the Green coalition partner saw the new revelations as confirmation of his decision to have called for his departure a year ago. For the time being, the party did not question the government cooperation. However, the opposition is not only demanding Sobotka’s resignation, but also the end of the coalition and elections from the Greens.