The Greens criticize their coalition partner ÖVP for their behavior in the U-committee. On Thursday, the Greens submitted requests for evidence to the Treasury Department to provide files to parliament on several new aspects of Thomas Schmid’s testimony. These were approved with the votes of four parliamentary groups, the ÖVP did not go along. “I don’t understand,” Green MP Nina Tomaselli said.
After the former Secretary-General of the Treasury, Schmid, established a number of new aspects in his statements to the prosecutor’s office about corruption, “it is necessary for a serious investigation that the U Commission has access to comprehensive information,” Tomaselli argued Friday. . The Greens’ requests include requests for files on possible job swaps, new aspects in real estate entrepreneur René Benko’s tax case and Schmid’s accusations against National Council chairman Wolfgang Sobotka (ÖVP) to intervene over tax audits. The motions were supported by four parties, as confirmed by several political groups.
“It doesn’t go together”
“The ÖVP in the U-committee has so far claimed that Schmid’s statements are not correct and accuses him of lying. At the same time, however, they do not want any further information about Schmid’s allegations. They do not go together,” said Tomaselli.
With the evidence requirements, one contributes “an important step toward clarification,” explains Tomaselli. The allegations against Sobotka – he dismisses them all – may already be time-barred, but that doesn’t matter in the U-Committee. This subcommittee is “necessary now more than ever,” Tomaselli again campaigned for an extension. She still cannot understand NEOS’ decision to “oppose the extension,” Tomaselli stressed.
“ÖVP wants to keep files hidden”
The committee can only be expanded jointly by the groups that have set it up. The NEOS have said they don’t want to extend it because everything is on the table anyway and the judiciary now has to work, while politics now has to tackle reforms. As for the requests for evidence, the NEOS are in the same horn as the Greens: “It’s the usual picture: the ÖVP claims everything in the statement is a lie – but they want to keep the files hidden,” he said. NEOS mandatarin Stephanie Krisper. “This shows once again how urgently we need to permanently prevent partisan access to office and tax procedures through real transparency.”
Source: Krone
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