He will “legally defend himself against Thomas Schmid”, the former politician of the conservative ÖVP wrote on Facebook on Thursday. “All accusations against me will turn out to be false,” Kurz wrote. Schmid has testified extensively before the corruption prosecutor’s office in recent months.
In the minutes, released this week, he described Kurz as having ordered a system of tax-funded, obscured opinion polls. The prosecutor’s office had already investigated this suspicion. Thanks to Schmid’s statements, more concrete information is now available.
As proof of his innocence, Kurz’s lawyer gave the prosecutor a recording of a conversation between his client and Schmid, which the two had in October 2021 after Kurz resigned on suspicion of corruption. In it, Kurz repeatedly asked why he was seen as the principal of the survey affair. Schmid replied evasively several times, but at one point described the accusations against Kurz and him as “utterly absurd.” Kurz concluded on Thursday that Schmid subsequently fabricated accusations to get away as a key witness.
Schmid’s protocol, in which he also accuses ÖVP MPs and entrepreneurs of illegal intervention, has again put pressure on the coalition between the ÖVP and the Greens. The parties want to continue to rule. The opposition calls for new elections.
(SDA)
Source: Blick
I’m Tim David and I work as an author for 24 Instant News, covering the Market section. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, my mission is to provide accurate, timely and insightful news coverage that helps our readers stay informed about the latest trends in the market. My writing style is focused on making complex economic topics easy to understand for everyone.
