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Investigations against FPÖ politician Kunasek stopped for infidelity!
Investigations against Mario Kunasek (FPÖ) for breach of trust discontinued; Public prosecutor refutes allegations surrounding house construction.
Investigations against FPÖ politician Kunasek stopped for infidelity!
The Klagenfurt public prosecutor's office has closed the investigation against Mario Kunasek of the FPÖ and three other suspects because of allegations of breach of trust. This was announced on Maundy Thursday. Loud Vienna.at An anonymous report in spring 2023 was the trigger for the investigation, which was aimed at possible malversations in Kunasek's house construction in Graz.
The allegations included, among other things, the fact that Gerald Deutschmann, who was hired as an architect for Kunasek's house, had also designed the renovation of the FPÖ party headquarters. Possible damage of over 700,000 euros was stated. However, the public prosecutor's office found that the initial suspicion had not been confirmed but had been refuted.
Results of the investigation
The evidence shows that all payments for the construction of the house came from the Kunasek spouses' private accounts. These payments were in a comprehensible relationship to the loan amounts and the amounts paid. In addition, the public prosecutor's office found that the architect only charged for the preliminary design and submission, while the other services were provided free of charge. Evidence regarding the construction of the party headquarters also showed no overlap with the Kunasek house construction.
The statements of the accused and the witnesses as well as the written evidence agreed. Stefan Hermann, the FPÖ state party secretary, commented on the discontinuation of the proceedings and described it as the end of an anonymous attempt at corruption. He also emphasized cooperation with authorities throughout the investigation.
Corruption in Austria
The reasons for the decline are political scandals, friendliness and attempts to influence independent media. A critical point remains the lack of independent leadership for public prosecutors, especially for the economic and corruption prosecutor's office. The implementation of the Freedom of Information Act is also inadequate in Austria.
Transparency Austria is therefore calling for increased transparency measures and an independent top management for the public prosecutor's offices in order to strengthen trust in the public sector. These developments are closely related to the perception of corruption, which strongly influences the political landscape in Austria.