Thomas Schmid: Now key witness-the case of the casinos affair finally completed!

Thomas Schmid: Now key witness-the case of the casinos affair finally completed!

Wien, Österreich - against Thomas Schmid no longer runs criminal proceedings. The deadline for a appeal for the continuation of the procedure has expired, confirmed the Economic and Corruption Prosecutor (WKStA) at the request of the "Krone" ( Krone ). Schmid, former Secretary General in the ÖVP-led Finance Ministry and former head of the State Holding ÖBAG, has officially obtained the status of a key witness in the casinos affair. His role as a key witness was announced shortly before Christmas. In this context, Schmid has made a fine of 260,000 euros and must continue to contribute to clarifying the Casag procedural complex.

After Schmid has been waiting for this status for over two and a half years, he received the crown -witness status from the Ministry of Justice. He is involved in several criminal proceedings and his stressful chats on the mobile phone play a central role. In order to avoid a process, Schmid had to pay a fine of 60,000 euros and 200,000 euros as damage to damage. The Casag complex, in which Schmid is involved, affects alleged agreements around Peter Sidlo and Novomatic.

stressful statements and political implications

Schmid burdened high -positioned people, including former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) in the advertisement affair. Schmid reported that Kurz received the order to switch advertisements to newspapers in order to achieve positive reporting. Ex-family minister Sophie Karmasin is also accused; Both, short and karmasin, reject the allegations. The awarding of the key witness status turned out to be lengthy and controversial, with Schmid already interested in this status in April 2022 and submitted the official application in December 2022.

Schmid is represented by lawyer Roland Kier, who emphasizes how important the key witness status is for combating corruption in Austria. According to Kier, the suspicion of Kurz is primarily based on Schmid’s statements. If you look at the current state of corruption in Austria, it becomes clear that the Kreutner report has exerted considerable political and social pressure on the judicial system. This report not only addresses the dubious treatment of celebrities, but also calls for fundamental reforms to ensure the rule of law in the country ( Constitutional blog ).

necessary reforms in the judicial system

The Kreutner report, which was published on July 15, 2024, describes serious weaknesses in the Austrian judicial system and determines the existence of a "two-class" judiciary. Recommendations to create an independent Attorney General and to strengthen the economic and corruption prosecutor's office were pronounced to ensure the independence of the judiciary. Reforms are urgently required, especially with regard to the interlinking between national and European judiciary.

Despite the political debates triggered by the report, no specific initiatives to implement the recommendations have so far been recognized. However, the findings of the report act as a wake-up call for necessary institutional reforms so that Austria meets the requirements of European rule of law (. ).