Details from protocol – Schmid felt used, was afraid of bugs

Schmid had already applied for leniency with the prosecutor in the spring and claimed to have changed his mind. “After leaving ÖBAG, I decided to take a new path and draw a line. I started to work things out. We did things that were not right,” said Schmid according to the WKStA protocol, which was sent to the media. has been leaked and is also available for the “Krone”.

“Mother said we didn’t raise you like that”
“A very important point that made me change my mind was that my mother told me that we didn’t raise you that way. If you did something wrong, stick with it and with all the consequences,” he said. And he felt used by Kurz. After leaving ÖBAG and the searches in October 2021, Kurz pressured him to “take all the blame” and exonerate him, Kurz, in writing. But he did. not.

Instead, Schmid now dared to step forward, trying to save himself in the leniency program – which could eventually earn him a reduced sentence. He is charged with six offences, ranging from bribery to abuse of office. Since Schmid was a civil servant at the time of the crime, he risks one and a half times the sentence, in other words: with a maximum sentence of ten years, that is 15 years for him. So much is at stake.

Further in the log: Then, during the meeting, when Kurz asked Schmid to hand out the “Kastl” (apparently the hard drive with fateful chats), “I thought he was crazy,” continues Schmid. Kurz wanted to take care of the chats himself because “otherwise the whole country would be destroyed” …

Fear of bugs – probably also with Kurz
A passage from the protocol – if true – gives a particularly deep insight into the broken relationship between two former “confidants”. Before meeting Kurz, Schmid called Kurz-Intimus Gernot Blümel (ÖVP) to inquire whether Kurz might not be “bugs.” “Blümel told me that Kurz had also called him and asked if I was being bugged. Blümel said that once we get that far, it’s going to be difficult anyway.”

made up message to the church
Schmid also claimed that it was Kurz who ordered him at the time to threaten the Catholic Church for rebelling against the detention pending deportation. But Schmid probably didn’t have the heart, which is why he claims to have lied to Kurz so as not to upset him: “Peter Schipka (from the Conference of Bishops, take note) is now very nervous and won’t sleep well. Message – BMF puts insane pressure on church contributions. It’s all very difficult.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, Twitter was everywhere:

Finally, Schmid weighed heavily on the former chancellor. The ex-ÖBAG boss explained, among other things, that Kurz knew that his employees were financing studies that were supposed to help him win the party chairmanship of the ÖVP and the office of the chancellor through the Ministry of Finance. “Yes, he was aware of that. It is very important for me to emphasize that I only implemented this tool (called leg scraper tool, please note) because I got the order from Kurz. I have this tool implemented for Kurz.”

Lawyer doubts credibility
It remains to be seen whether details about possible bugging bugs or a change of heart by the mother will give Schmid’s statements more weight. Kurz attorney Werner Suppan has already denied Schmid’s legitimate credibility – he only hopes “by fooling around and accusing everyone of gaining leniency status. His allegations are false and that will be proven,” the statement said. lawyer for the ex-chancellor.

The FPÖ responded quickly in a similar manner on Tuesday. “In my opinion, a key witness can only be someone you trust, who has been cleared and wants to contribute to the clarification. But someone who has been fooling the U-Commission for a year and a half and has negotiated with another authority (so the WKStA, pay attention op) does not have confidence in me,” said the group chairman of the inquiry committee ÖVP. , Christian Hafenecker.

U-Committee continues
In any case, new topics are being offered – not least on Wednesday, when the planned subcommittee meeting should again be about Corona financing. Invited are two employees of Austria Wirtschaftsservice GmbH (aws), which is responsible for processing NPO funding, ie the money paid out to non-profit organizations. The ÖVP is responsible for charging. In view of current events, however, the MPs’ interest in the guests will diminish.