In a somewhat unusual way, ex-vice chancellor and ex-FPÖ leader Heinz-Christian Strache approached the prosecutor’s office for economics and corruption. In a personal letter, he now asks the authorities, without any legal assistance, to drop the investigation into the Casinos affair.
In the letter, Strache reaffirms his innocence: “To be honest, it is quite a mystery to me where there are suspicions against me.”
“Stop spending money on a lawyer”
Whatever the WKStA decides, he does not want to spend money on a lawyer for the time being. With such a thing you “unfortunately also have to think economically”, quotes the “Kurier” from Strache’s letter to the authority.
In general, the former FPÖ leader now comes across as somewhat fatalistic: “I don’t really care if I have to be accused of something again at some point.” Because he’s already done the damage.
Casino’s affair is spreading widely
The investigations by the WKStA against Strache concern two elements in the Casinos file relating to a donation to a club affiliated with FP and an alleged exchange of positions at Casinos Austria. The latter cause also emerges in the most recent indictment against former ÖVP party leader Bettina Glatz-Kremsner, general manager of Casinos Austria and CEO of Austrian Lotteries until March 2022.
Glatz-Kremsner is accused of giving false testimony before both the Commission of Inquiry and the Office of the Attorney for Affairs and Corruption. During the investigation into the CASAG case, she stated that she knew nothing about a meeting between Löger and Johann Graf – a false statement, according to the prosecutor. She also made false statements about the appointment of Peter Sidlos to CASAG’s board of directors. She would only have known that he was an FPÖ district councilor, but had no idea of the political background to his appointment.
Ex-Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and his confidant and former employee Bernhard Bonelli are also accused of making false statements. Heinz-Christian Strache is also called as a witness in the proceedings, as is Thomas Schmid, whose mobile phone the famous chats come from.
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.
