Just one day after the recommendation of the party’s internal ethics council, former Finance Secretary General and ÖBAG CEO Thomas Schmid was effectively expelled from the ÖVP. The Turks announced this on Friday.
The reason for the exclusion advice of the Ethics Council was, among other things, the admission of serious crimes, according to a statement on Thursday. Schmid had also heavily charged several former and current ÖVP officials – including ex-chancellor Sebastian Kurz – before the Public Prosecutor’s Office for Economic and Corruption (WKStA) and filed a clemency application.
The choice of words in Schmid’s chats and the “disrespect” revealed therein are “completely inappropriate and should be rejected” and also contradict the code of conduct, the Ethics Board explained. However, the independent judiciary will have to decide on criminal misconduct.
Nehammer favors exclusion
ÖVP leader and chancellor Karl Nehammer and secretary general Christian Stocker supported the recommendation of the Ethics Council. This will also be presented to the responsible sub-organization, the ÖAAB Vienna, it said on Thursday. It said on Friday that “this recommendation had been met”. “The ÖAAB Vienna has decided to exclude Thomas Schmid.”
Source: Krone
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