The former top ÖVP politician Franz Fischler sharply criticized the way in which various politicians from the ranks of the People’s Party dealt with Thomas Schmid’s statements before the corruption prosecutor’s office. In the current situation, the ÖVP should “take the initiative” and “cannot always remain the driven party,” said the former EU commissioner. Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) is also required here. It has since become known that the Ethics Council of the ÖVP is active in this case.
Fischler in the Ö1 “Mittagsjournal” is not satisfied with the attitude of the federal party – most recently confirmed by Secretary General Christian Stocker – to await the results of the investigation and any rulings.
Anti-Corruption Concepts Required
From Fischler’s point of view, new concepts against corruption are urgently needed, and projects such as the Information Freedom Act must finally be implemented.
“We are long past the dignified stage,” Fischler said when asked about the dignity of the ruling party. Also in view of Austria’s reputation, urgent action is needed: “We must get rid of the reputation of being cunning, so to speak.”
Klasnic: ‘Our point of contact is the federal party’
In the meantime, it is certain that the Ethics Council of the ÖVP will take action. Chairman Waltraud Klasnic confirms this in the ORF “Mittagsjournal” on Monday. There will be a meeting in November. But the case is being handled “not externally, but internally”, because “our contact person is the federal party”.
The Ethics Council has not commented on the corruption investigations against the ÖVP and (former) top representatives since October 2021. The committee – founded in 2012 under the auspices of then chairman Michael Spindelegger – criticized Sebastian Kurz’s statements at the time that had become known in the Schmid chats.
“The wording and disrespect in some of the chats that have been made public” are “totally inappropriate and should be rejected” and allegedly violate the code of conduct, it said, noting that the chats were “disrespectfully made public.” “. to data protection and privacy” and had become “taken out of context”.
At the time, the Ethics Council did not want to rule on the facts being investigated by the public prosecutor, citing the presumption of innocence. But further developments will be “closely monitored and supervised”.
Source: Krone
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