Summary of a very exciting week full of procedures. Candidate key witness Thomas Schmid testified in court for 18 hours. Despite attacks, he stuck to the message: “No decision without Kurz” – placing a heavy burden on the former chancellor.
In a trial for false testimony before the U-Commission, a verdict can usually be expected within a few hours. The trial against Kurz, on the other hand, develops into a crime thriller. The interrogation of key witness candidate Thomas Schmid lasted 18 hours.
A marathon investigation to clarify the simple question of whether Kurz as chancellor was “involved in the sense of being informed” in the appointment of Schmid as a board member of the state holding company Öbag, or whether he made the final decision himself.
During interrogation, Kurz’s lawyers produced affidavits from two mysterious Russian managers portraying Thomas Schmid as a liar. These are just some of the highlights of an exciting week in law – the ideal time to take stock:
Number 1: Judge breaks new ground in litigation
Immediately at the beginning of the trial, Kurz’s lawyer Otto Dietrich filed a motion for bias against Judge Michael Radasztics. So far, Radasztics cannot be accused of bias.
He even granted Kurz’s lawyers a small privilege: Normally the prosecutor has the right to question the witness after the judge. The defenders are usually number three in the series. Radasztics reversed this order. The prosecutor said, “Please wait a moment.”
However, not everything goes through: he has not recorded the sworn statements of the Russian managers. The identity seemed questionable to the judge.
Number 2: Prosecutor Adamovic well prepared
Senior prosecutor Gregor Adamovic knows that there is a lot at stake in the trial against the ex-chancellor. He is well prepared and has asked the right questions so far.
Number 3: Short – full power against Schmid
Kurz’s strategy is clear. His former confidant Schmid should be convicted of lying – also with regard to the serious advertising affair, in which Kurz is also accused by Schmid. If charged, Kurz could face up to 15 years in prison because he was a public servant at the time of the crime.
Kurz accuses Schmid that one page of his statement of more than a thousand pages is identical to the wording of a warrant to search the WKStA house. Even the comma marks are identical.
As a second piece of evidence, the former Chancellor presented a photo of a mobile message from Schmid congratulating him on a “ZIB 2” interview after the search in October 2021, because Kurz finally said what it really was. The prosecutor wanted the cell phone so they could check the time of the photo. The mobile phone no longer exists.
The judge also rejected the claim of two Russians that Schmid allegedly revealed during a job interview that he would testify in accordance with the WKStA.
Conclusion: Kurz’s attacks did not all work. Perhaps Kurz will resort to the need to make statements after all.
Number 4: Schmid calm and collected
Schmid described the government period between 2017 and 2019 without anger or malice. He conveyed his message several times: A decision without Kurz in the Öbag lineup was “unthinkable.” Two friends became best enemies.
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.
