According to Vorarlberg Governor Markus Wallner, the exclusion of former Secretary General of the Ministry of Finance and ÖBAG boss Thomas Schmid from the ÖVP was correct, but “actually much too late”. Not only criminal law is a border, issues such as values, style and intercourse must also be assessed in the party, he says in the ORF “press hour” on Sunday.
Wallner defended his well-known chats with Schmid, in which the governor had apparently inquired about additional payments from the state energy supplier Illwerke/VKW: “It was never about any personal benefit”, but always about the interests of the state of Vorarlberg.
“The appearance is not good”
Wallner said of the federal ÖVP and the chat affair as a whole: “the outward image is not good”. It is good that ÖVP boss and Chancellor Karl Nehammer publicly apologized at the beginning of November. Nehammer said there was no room for corruption in Austria – “I share this view 100 percent”. The answer can only be more transparency. If you want to regain the confidence of the public, you have to count on transparency.
When asked whether official secrecy should be abolished, Wallner said, “In my opinion you can do that, yes.” About the fact that the ÖVP is being investigated for corruption, he said “that is a picture that needs to be corrected”. . The correct answers are “rules, compliance, transparency”.
Wallner: Allegations against him “collapse”
Wallner sees the accusations against him in the Vorarlberg business association and the advertising scandal collapse. His personal inspection of the files is a few days old, the governor said. And added: “I know that a person has been questioned and I can say: the allegations are collapsing.” The trust destroyed by the chat affair must be regained through transparency.
Wallner took a break
Wallner, who took an illness-related break on June 22 after allegations arose and did not return to work until September, said the allegations also had something to do with the withdrawal. You constantly hear that you are suspicious – but this is due to accusations from strangers. “The whole thing is not funny, there is not a single piece of evidence.” The inspection of the files over the past few days has confirmed his position, he said, without becoming specific – because: he is “not one of those who quote from any investigation files”.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
