Sebastian Kurz after acquittal: What is the following for the ÖVP?

Sebastian Kurz after acquittal: What is the following for the ÖVP?

On May 27, 2025, Sebastian Kurz, the former Chancellor of Austria, took the press after the Vienna Higher Regional Court had overturned its conviction for false statements in the Ibiza examination committee. The court decided that the objective fact of the wrong evidence was not fulfilled. Kurz had previously received a penalty of eight months of imprisonment in the first instance, which no longer applies. He expressed relief after the verdict of the verdict, but regretted the fate of his former head of the cabinet Bernhard Bonelli, whose conviction was confirmed at six months on probation.

The central questions in the procedure were about the role of ordering the supervisory board of the State Holding ÖBAG. While his active participation competed briefly, statements by the key witness Thomas Schmid contradicted this claim. The judge found that the mood in the U-Committee was a “hostile” for short and criticized that the time had expired for inquiries, which briefly took the opportunity to clarify.

criticism and allegations in the context of corruption

The cause has its roots in the 2019 Ibiza affair, which led to the break of the coalition between ÖVP and FPÖ. Thomas Schmid, who performed as a key witness, briefly burdened a lot. These developments are part of a major problem of political corruption in Austria, which is discussed in the Kreutner report. The report comes to the conclusion that the institutional weaknesses of the judicial system and political instructions seriously impair transparency and justice in criminal investigations.

In the Kreutner report, a “two-class” judiciary is criticized, in which celebrities are treated as normal citizens. Reforms are required to improve the independence of the judiciary and to remedy the problems created by political interventions. The upcoming parliamentary elections on September 29, 2024 offer a stage for the discussion about these unsolved problems, although the judicial reforms have not yet been focused.

outlook and open questions

Sebastian Kurz, who went down in history in 2013 as the youngest Federal Minister and in 2017 as the youngest Federal Chancellor in 2017, resigned in 2021 after allegations of corruption and turned to entrepreneurship. While the investigation into the advertisement affair, in which he is accused of commissioning benefits with tax money, are still pending, it remains to be seen, it remains to be seen which further legal steps will follow in this complicated corruption story.

For more information on this topic, you can report the reports from vienna.at href = "https://taz.de/korruption process-in-oesterreich/!6087150/"> taz as well as the see.