Former Finance Secretary Thomas Schmid has since applied for leniency in several investigations involving the ÖVP. He was able to find support through the admission of a consultancy from Graz. This mainly concerns consultancy services paid for by the Ministry of Finance that would have served the ÖVP in preparation for the government negotiations.
In a statement to the Public Prosecutor’s Office for Economic Affairs and Corruption (WKStA), Schmid said that the Graz-based consulting firm ICG helped prepare the government negotiations in 2017 and that it was “solely in the interests of the ÖVP”. Specifically, it concerned “advice and coaching services”. This was paid for by the Ministry of Finance headed by Eduard Müller, then head of the Finance Department.
Almost 20,000 euros have already been paid back to the financial department
“ICG takes its responsibility and compensates for the damage,” said the consultancy in the “Presse”. 19,378.87 euros have already been paid back to the financial department. “After extensive internal investigation and in full cooperation with the WKStA, it had to be established” that the rules of conduct had not been observed in the specific case. “The necessary consequences” were drawn from this, ICG boss Kurt Mayer said in the “Standard”.
SPÖ and FPÖ demand that the FMA boss be fired
SPÖ and FPÖ leaders in the ÖVP’s corruption investigation committee, Kai Jan Krainer and Christian Hafenecker, demanded that Finance Minister Magnus Brunner (ÖVP) fire the current head of the Financial Markets Authority (FMA), Müller. This person will be regarded as a suspect in the ICG procedure. There was no request for a recall from the Greens. Group leader Nina Tomaselli still noticed irregularities. “The company refunded the invoice amount because they realized that Austria and the ÖVP are not the same.”
U-committee is working overtime
The ÖVP Corruption Investigation Commission is now being expanded. SPÖ, FPÖ and NEOS submitted a corresponding request on Wednesday, making use of the possibility offered by the regulations. This means that the taking of evidence will not end in December as originally planned, but in all likelihood after the end of January 2023. It is not yet clear how many more survey days are to come.
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.
