About two years have passed, but now the political sensation is established. Thomas Schmid has been given the status of key witness in connection with the accusations surrounding ex-chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP). This could now influence further proceedings against high-ranking politicians.
The Public Prosecution Service for Economic and Corruption (WKStA) has granted Thomas Schmid the status of key witness in the so-called Casag procedure. The WKStA announced on Thursday that a corresponding project report has been approved by the Public Prosecution Service and the Ministry of Justice.
Now have to pay partial compensation
Schmid must continue to clarify the matter and pay a fine of 60,000 euros and partial compensation of 200,000 euros. If he meets these obligations, the criminal case against him will be discontinued.
The former Secretary General of the Ministry of Finance and former head of ÖBAG plays a central role in various corruption proceedings surrounding ex-Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.
Heavily taxed high-ranking ÖVP politicians
Schmid has already made extensive confessions in the trial surrounding Kurz’s alleged false statements before the investigative committee and has thus severely accused prominent ÖVP politicians, including the ex-chancellor.
His statement that he, at Kurz’s behest, initiated the so-called “leg scraping instrument” to manipulate surveys is particularly explosive. This affair also involves alleged corruption funded by taxpayers’ money.
Status entails a reduction in punishment
It was clear early in the trial that Schmid would try to become a key witness. At that point, he brought his mother to the meeting, who made it clear to him that she would announce the allegations. Now that he has been granted this status, he will subsequently receive a reduced sentence after his previous statements are assessed as comprehensive and credible.
Schmid’s statements have already led to a non-legally binding judgment against Kurz for making false statements in the U-Commission. He recently tried to explain with statements that Schmid had fabricated several facts or misstated details.
The Public Prosecution Service for Economic and Corruption (WKStA) had already decided on this for some time, but the sanction from the Ministry of Justice was still missing.
The investigations were also stopped
Only recently did it become known that investigations against the former Secretary General of the Ministry of Finance were stopped due to the suspicion of providing false evidence or postponed in further proceedings due to the lack of initial suspicions.
The investigation showed that Schmid’s relevant statements before the House committee were largely objectively correct on the one hand and that on the other hand they were recognizable as incomplete because he had exercised his legal right to identify himself as a suspect. in a corresponding investigation to reject the statement. The studies therefore had to be stopped.
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.
