National Council chairman Wolfgang Sobotka (ÖVP) is defending himself against incriminating statements made against him by former Secretary-General of Finance Thomas Schmid. Schmid stated in his statement that Sobotka had successfully intervened with the “Alois Mock Foundation or the Alois Mock Institute” and the “Erwin Proell Foundation” for tax audits. Sobotka speaks in a statement of “embezzlement” to obtain leniency status.
“It was then arranged in the sense of Mag. Sobotka,” said Schmid according to the interrogation protocol of the Economic and Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (WKStA). Sobotka sees it differently: “If someone has apparently been trying desperately for months to obtain leniency, then all means are appropriate to achieve extenuating circumstances in determining his sentence. Blackmailing political decision-makers guarantees maximum media attention. The allegations against me are completely unfounded and I categorically reject them.”
Sobotka, who is also chairman of the ÖVP’s Commission of Inquiry, finds the fact that Schmid rejects the parliamentary relief “extremely annoying”. Because “who in Graz has a total of 15 days to answer questions from the WKStA, could and should have answered the questions of the MPs in the inquiry committee on a duty of truth. This image speaks for itself and clearly shows what the truth is about.”
Alois Mock Institute is now history
Sobotka chaired the Alois Mock Institute, which was also a subject on the investigative committee several times. The club, which was in the news because of payments from the game group Novomatic, has now been dissolved. It was recently announced that the Lilienfeld-St. Pölten carried out an income survey for the counterfeiting institute – apparently without an order from the Ministry of Finance, which, however, was initially not forwarded to the ÖVP’s investigative committee.
Source: Krone
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