In the statements of ex-ÖBAG boss Thomas Schmid, another prominent name appears, namely that of Vorarlberg’s governor Markus Wallner (ÖVP). In text messages they would have exchanged a back tax from state energy supplier Illwerke/VKW.
The ORF Vorarlberg reported on Saturday about the statements documenting text messages between Wallner and the then Secretary-General of the Treasury Department, Schmid. In it, the governor apparently inquired about an additional payment from the state energy supplier Illwerke/VKW.
Wallner repeatedly wanted to know how the tax process went. In one of the messages, he asked if a “solution” had already been found in the “tax issue”. Schmid replied, “Are there!”. The SMS traffic dates from 2018.
Wallner sees no error
Wallner had already been accused at the beginning of this year of intervening in a large-scale audit of Illwerke at the Ministry of Finance. The governor defended himself and emphasized that the protest was official. After all, he is the owner’s representative. And even then, Wallner didn’t see a single flaw.
“As explained on several occasions, I have been in contact with several people in the course of the proceedings – the Head of Department, the Minister and also the Secretary General of the Ministry of Finance. In my role as the owner’s representative, I gave him the importance and the far-reaching significance of this unresolved tax issue for Vorarlberg,” the state manager told ORF. It is not an intervention, but the legitimate defense of national interests. You can tell by the text message, Wallner says. The head of state had put forward the same arguments in the ÖVP’s corruption investigation committee.
Source: Krone
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