The third day of the trial of former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz took place on Monday. Further negotiation dates were also agreed. According to reports, the first witness hearings will begin on November 17 and Thomas Schmid will be the first to be invited. Criticism: His word-for-word statement in the Ibiza U committee did not lead to any investigation. It will take place on December 11, 15 and 18.
When the two defendants enter the grand jury room in Vienna’s Landl, there is no hint of embarrassment or shame. Former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz in particular seems to enjoy the media attention despite the unfavorable conditions: he shouts “Good morning”, waves to those present, smiles and expertly pauses for photos.
His co-suspect, close confidant Bernhard Bonelli, also chooses the offensive path. Like his witness Kurz, Bonelli will have to answer on Monday on the accusation that he provided false evidence in the Ibiza-U committee about the appointments to the supervisory board of ÖBAG.
Bonelli is amazed by the rule of law
Like his former boss, the 40-year-old pleads ‘not guilty’. As a political newcomer, he had little experience with U committees. He was advised to answer briefly: “That is why I limited myself to talking about formal responsibilities and not about informal processes,” said Bonelli, explaining why he said at the time that the responsibility for appointing the supervisory board to the ministry of Finance.
The father of four children and his lawyer Werner Suppan point out a contradiction. Thomas Schmid, who is seeking star witness status in the chat affair, was also asked in the U-Committee who appoints the ÖBAG commissioners?
Schmid responded the same as Bonelli: “The appointment was made by the Minister of Finance.” Unlike the now accused, no criminal investigation has been launched against Schmid due to false evidence: “It just doesn’t make sense to me why this thing that would happen in a constitutional state could be possible,” Bonelli accuses the WKStA of applying double standards.
The judge leaves further charges open for the time being
He does not answer the questions of the corruption hunters and does not even look at the senior prosecutors Gregor Adamovic and Roland Koch. Of Schmid, Bonelli says, “I was not a great friend of his,” and later in the process he specified, “Schmid’s main goal was to optimize his own progress as much as possible.”
ÖBAG’s former board of directors is the first witness to be questioned in the trial. The 47-year-old will be invited to Landl on November 17. Judge Radasztics also wants to hear former ministers Hartwig Löger and Gernot Blümel, while chief prosecutor Adamovic asks, among other things, for the interrogation of entrepreneur Siegfried Wolf.
The representatives of the WKStA and Kurz’s lawyer Otto Dietrich want to have almost a dozen witnesses interrogated; four more days of the trial have been announced until December 18. Judge Michael Radasztics, who sentenced Kurz on the second day of the trial for early acquittal due to lack of testimony, only seems to be very enthusiastic about the marathon of witnesses shortly before Christmas: “For procedural economic reasons, I would like to first invite four main witnesses and then the others will decide on the applications.’
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.
