Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP)’s plan to bring former ÖBAG boss Thomas Schmid before ÖVP’s corruption investigation committee has failed for the time being. The search for the former secretary general of the Ministry of Finance was unsuccessful on Wednesday, according to information from the Vienna police. Yet there was a bizarre encounter with an Italian at his former registration address…
According to a report from the Vienna State Police headquarters, which is available to the “Krone”, an attempt was made on Wednesday morning by order of the Minister of the Interior to locate Schmid at his former registration address in Vienna’s 7th district. “The mailbox was full of advertising brochures,” said the police.
Italians at a loss: ‘I don’t know anyone with that name’
Even more bizarre: when the doorbell rang, an Italian citizen finally opened the door. When asked about Schmid’s whereabouts, he replied that he did not know anyone by that name. The Italian only rented the apartment through “airbnb” from a person he did not know. He could only provide the landlord’s phone number.
Schmid has moved abroad
According to the police, no further investigation into the whereabouts of Schmid was subsequently made. Schmid has since moved abroad, but has been subpoenaed by the committee. The opposition demanded that the police take him there. In the end, Karner ordered the Vienna State Police headquarters to take Schmid into custody when he came to Austria.
However, the police should only detain Schmid for a short time – anything else would be disproportionate. He would therefore have to appear in Austria just before the respective research day to actually be presented.
Source: Krone
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