Sebastian Kurz after acquittal: Is the ex-chancellor's comeback?

Sebastian Kurz after acquittal: Is the ex-chancellor's comeback?

Wien, Österreich - The former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz was acquitted on May 26, 2025 by the Vienna Higher Regional Court of the False statement in the Ibiza examination committee. In doing so, the court opened the conviction of the first instance, which had been sentenced to eight months of imprisonment in 2024. His former cabinet chief Bernhard Bonelli, who was also in court, was sentenced to six months of imprisonment, as KURIER reported.

In the process of origin, his role in ordering supervisory boards for the State Holding ÖBAG was briefly asked. The first instance had found that the former Chancellor had reduced his influence on the events. However, the Higher Regional Court did not consider the answers from Kurz to be wrong; It made it clear that he had not left a complete impression of his statements.

consequences and discussions about the judgment

After the verdict had fallen, discussions immediately sparked the possible political consequences for short. A comeback in politics is in the room when the allegations against him have been invalidated. The effects of the decision on his career and the planned political comeback are analyzed in a discussion on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at 10:30 p.m. in ORF 2 and on ORF ON. An dieser Debatte nehmen unter anderem Elisabeth Köstinger und Kai Jan Krainer teil, wie OTS berichtet.

Kurz himself in his closing word expressed that he found the judge as incomprehensible and emphasized that he had not adequately prepared for the survey. After all, the case has triggered an enormous media coverage and the aftermath of the Ibiza affair continues to shape Austrian politics.

The Ibiza affair in the context of Austria's political culture

The ongoing scandals in Austria, which also include this case, underline the chronic problem of political corruption in the country. According to KURIER, numerous political affairs, corruption and cover-up were documented in the second republic. The discussion about corruption in Austria is not new; In the past, many politicians had to withdraw due to similar allegations.

Walter Geyer, the first anti -corruption prosecutor in Austria, expressed that despite stricter laws, corruption cannot be fully exterminated. He emphasizes that greed is a common cause of bribery and transparency can make a decisive contribution to combating corruption. The numerous affairs, which have shaped the political landscape to date since the 1980s, also show the challenges in dealing with corruption and political scandals.

With the latest developments around Sebastian Kurz, the question of the integrity of political leadership figures and the way how Austria will deal with its history of the political scandal in the future.