VIENNA — Villain or victim?
Former Austrian leader Sebastian Kurz, his political and personal future hanging in the balance, appeared in a courtroom here on Wednesday 18th Oct, for the opening of what could be the first of multiple trials that will determine whether he was a corrupt manipulator as chancellor, as prosecutors allege, or the victim of overzealous state attorneys and political rivals intent on undermining him.
The Austrian’s fairytale rise from unknown youth leader into an international political star and chancellor at just 30 ended abruptly in October of 2021, when he was forced to resign amid accusations of corruption. Even so, Kurz’s success in leading the Austrian People’s Party to two commanding victories in 2017 and 2019 made the slick brand of right-wing populism he pioneered a model for stodgy centrist parties from Athens to Amsterdam and conservatives across Europe still try to follow his example.
Kurz faces criminal charges for allegedly giving false testimony to a parliamentary committee. Prosecutors also suspect him of misusing public funds to pay for doctored public opinion polls, though he has yet to be indicted in that case. The trial that began Wednesday concerns the false testimony accusation. Kurz denies any wrongdoing on both fronts.
Two-faced Kurz?
Prosecutors allege that Kurz gave false testimony to parliament in 2020 when he was grilled by a special investigative committee about whether he played a role in selecting a new head for the state holding company, known as ÖBAG. Kurz insisted he hadn’t, but private text exchanges between the former chancellor, his aides and other associates that subsequently came to light suggested otherwise, according to the prosecution’s case.
Spirited defense
Kurz’s lawyers offered a spirited rebuttal of the prosecutors’ claims in court on Wednesday, dismissing them as “fake,” insisting there was “no evidence” against Kurz and suggesting that Adamovic had manipulated witness testimony (he denied the claim).
The latter accusation prompted the presiding judge to enquire whether the defense was accusing the prosecution of malpractice, to which Kurz’s counsel responded he would leave it up to the court to make that determination.
The most dramatic turn in the trial came near the end of the day, when Kurz’s former deputy Glatz-Kremsner suddenly agreed to settle her case by acknowledging “mistakes” and paying a fine of about €100,000.
Source: Politico eu