The trial against ex-minister Sophie Karmasin will start on Tuesday. Chief witness Sabine Beinschab will testify for the first time. The charges against Sebastian Kurz will follow in 2023.
Some former ministers have already been charged in this country. However, she is the first woman to go from the government bench to the dock. In four days – on Tuesday – it will be time in the Vienna court. Ex-ÖVP minister Sophie Karmasin is not only hoping for an acquittal. Karmasin is also about restoring the family’s reputation. Her parents Helene (86) and Fritz Karmasin ( 2013) founded a family business that shaped the communication business for five decades.
Did Karmasin wrongly receive 78,589 euros?
However, the defense will not be easy for lawyers Norbert Wess and Philipp Wolm. After leaving politics, Karmasin allegedly obtained continued payments unlawfully by concealing that she would seamlessly continue her independent activities after her term of office. Charged are 78,589.95 euros – with most of the damage repaired before charges were filed. The second set of charges concerns the commission for three studies for the Ministry of Sport. Secret price agreements would have been made here. The highlight of the trial is the first appearance of key witness Sabine Beinschab.
When politics becomes a criminal case
A look in the archives shows: Austria is a country of political affairs. Ernst Strasser, ÖVP Minister of the Interior from 2000 to 2004, received it in 2014. For a fee of 100,000 euros, he promised to influence EU legislation: three years in prison for bribery.
Ex-Finance Minister Karl-Heinz Grasser has not been sentenced to seven years in prison for breach of trust in the Buwog affair. Former Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache has been acquitted twice so far. This year, ex-chancellor Sebastian Kurz may also have to answer to court for making false statements in the U committee. The charges are said to be imminent. It will be an exciting legal year.
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.
