Final of the trial – Soon in court: the verdict will be pronounced today

Sebastian Kurz will spend endless hours in the dock until judge Michael Radasztics delivers the verdict today. Kurz and his former chief of staff Bernhard Bonelli are accused of downplaying their role in the personnel decisions of the state holding company ÖBAG before the U-Commission.

Before the judge finds the ex-chancellor “guilty” or “innocent” of making false statements, a busy schedule must be completed in the grand jury courtroom.

You could almost say that the last day of the test offers all the highlights in quick succession. One of the two Russian managers will testify via video, and Thomas Schmid will also appear again – the third in the marathon negotiations that started on October 18, 2023. What were the turning points in the trial against the ex-chancellor?

Schmid charges Kurz
On the fifth day of the trial, Thomas Schmid came to the grand jury courtroom in Wiener Landl for the first time. The key figure in many investigations surrounding the ÖVP was interrogated for almost nine hours on December 12 and faced further questions on the 15th. Schmid would like to become a key witness and placed a heavy burden on the former chancellor. Kurz had a “veto right” over important personnel decisions, was his core statement. At the time, it was simply “impossible” to make decisions about filling vacancies without Kurz.

Brilliant Russians
On the same day of the trial, the Kurz defense brought in two Russian businessmen. The Russians had submitted statements: Schmid allegedly said during a job interview in Amsterdam that he was being put under pressure by the Public Prosecution Service. He does not always testify truthfully to become a star witness. The affidavit was not enough for the judge and the Russians were called as witnesses.

Original answer
Former Finance Minister Hartwig Löger (ÖVP) won the title for the best answer to avoid sensitive questions on the seventh day of the trial. He spoke of a ‘memory dilemma’.