Kurz for acquittal: What does that mean for Austria's politics?

Kurz for acquittal: What does that mean for Austria's politics?

Oberlandesgericht Wien, Österreich - On May 26, 2025, the former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz was acquitted by the Vienna Higher Regional Court. However, the court, directed by judge Werner Röggla, confirmed the conviction of his former head of cabinet Bernhard Bonelli. This acquittal came 458 days after the first instance debt, which went back to the alleged involvement of briefly in the selection of members of the State Holding ÖBAG. In short and Bonelli, the allegations had always downturned and refused to make a deliberate false statement.

In the appeal hearing, it became clear that briefly with his answer to the so-called "yes-no question" acted correctly, which led to the abolition of the judgment due to nullity. According to 5min.at, both politicians were pending due to possible false statements who influenced the result of an extensive political scandal around the Ibiza affair in 2019.

background and development of the cause

Already in February 2022 was sentenced to eight months of imprisonment, while Bonelli received a six -month sentence. Both appealed and argued that the indictment was based on incorrect information. Thomas Schmid, who temporarily held the top of the ÖBAG, was heard as a key witness and briefly strained in several of his statements.

Kurz told the investigation that the processes were "difficult to understand" for him. He also pointed out the alleged bias of judge Michael Radasztics, which was rejected by the public prosecutor. This explained that the judgment was flawless in legal terms. The cause of the false statements was still exacerbated by the politically explosive Ibiza affair, which ex-FPÖ boss Heinz-Christian Strache targeted, as Sn.at reported.

systemic problems in the judiciary

The Kreutner report, which deals with the challenges of the rule of law in Austria, illuminates the deep structural problems that affect the judicial system. The institutional weaknesses that came to light in the processing of the Ibiza affair and in dealing with cases of political corruption are particularly serious. The Commission, led by Martin Kreutner, has already proposed reforms and the creation of an independent Attorney General in order to ensure that politics and judiciary separate, which is considered overdue.

remains to be seen how the political debates about judicial reforms will develop. The upcoming parliamentary elections on September 29, 2024 offer a platform to comprehensively address these topics, but so far there is no sufficient commitment to implement necessary reforms as to the rule of law in Austria, as in the [Constitutional Blog] (https://verfassungblog.de/kreutner- report-- Oesterreich/).