The ÖVP’s corruption investigation committee is threatened with an inglorious end. A meeting of the group leaders is scheduled for Thursday afternoon, after all attempts to agree on further inquiries failed – including due to a blockade of the ÖVP on Wednesday. Now the PVV is threatening a boycott, party leader Christian Hafenecker announced to the APA.
The FPÖ will stay away from the meeting if no special chairman of the National Council takes place beforehand. Hafenecker explained his position that without proper preparation one would certainly not be summoned to such a meeting a third time.
ÖVP dropped the meeting’s rules of procedure
The day before, a meeting of the Rules of Procedure had already cracked because the ÖVP stayed away from her. As a result, it was again not possible to establish further investigations before the committee’s scheduled end on 1 February, or to submit further requests for evidence from the Greens and the SPÖ. Legitimate summons is in any case no longer possible, now that the term of two weeks can no longer be met.
The advertisement against the ÖVP-related agency was the final straw
As the reason for their absence, the ÖVP cited a complaint from the Red faction leader Jan Krainer at the Public Prosecutor’s Office for Economic Affairs and Corruption (WKStA) against the advertising agency Media Contacta, which is considered to be close to the ÖVP. . Media Contacta, which has offices in Vienna and Lower Austria, was repeatedly questioned in the U-committee because it had repeatedly commissioned ministries or the People’s Party in the federal government and in Lower Austria.
In his description of the facts, Krainer raised the charge of collusion during the bidding process and that the provisions of the Political Parties Act were circumvented with the help of Media Contacta. The WKStA actually launched investigations against six people, but only because of the accusation of “competitive agreements in tender procedures”.
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.
