Sobotka in the U-Commission – Behind the item list was “service idea”

The investigation would mainly focus on Sobotka’s tenure as interior minister. At the time, Sebastian Kurz was working on the so-called Ballhausplatz project – the plan to seize power in the Chancellery. It is central to the commission of inquiry, Sobotka would have played an important role in it. Judge Wolfgang Pöschl started the investigation with this topic. The ÖVP politician replied succinctly that he had never been involved in the Ballhausplatz project. He only knows it from the media and his work in the subcommittees.

Scammers posting to the Ministry of the Interior?
Sobotka is accused of allegedly intervening in appointments, various chats would show. There is currently a case against him. What was it like when you were Home Secretary? At that time, about 1,000 vacancies had been filled and the suggestions of the responsible personnel committee were always followed up, according to Sobotka. He was also asked about an alleged intervention list with which people from the immediate vicinity of the ÖVP were nominated for positions. Behind it was the “service idea”, said the ÖVP politician. Suggestions and requests were collected “from each party”. However, there were no central lists.

SPÖ sees “mass involvement”
In advance, SPÖ party chairman Jan Krainer described it as “bizarre” that Sobotka is being questioned as in the Ibiza U-committee. Plus, with Sobotka, you don’t even know “where to start” because of the plethora of topics. From this alone one can read his “mass involvement” with the subject matter, Krainer said: “It shows how incompatible it is that he is the chairman.” On the other hand, ÖVP faction leader Andreas Hanger finds the role reversal of the chairman questionable at all. Sobotka has an “extremely objective presidency,” Hanger said before the survey.

In recent weeks you have seen how ministries have been recolored and misused for partisan purposes, said NEOS MP Stephanie Krisper. The Ministry of the Interior has particularly distinguished itself under the leadership of Sobotka: “Our posts for our people.” For Greens faction leader Nina Tomaselli, Sobotka is also attributed to that turquoise circle of power around former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP), who tried to cheat the country. Instruments for this were advertisements, surveys and post-jobbers. Sobotka masters each of these instruments, Tomaselli says.

Hanger wants to investigate the “SPÖ leg scraper tool”.
For Hanger, on the other hand, the previous committee work remained without knowledge gain. All the causes were known and the invited informants could not contribute anything enlightening, he sums up. Hanger wants to set a new focus in the autumn: “We also want to investigate the SPÖ-Beinschab instrument.” Finally, the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Economic and Corruption Affairs (WKStA) is currently investigating the first suspicions against “known SPÖ politicians”. Therefore, requests for evidence and subpoenas from corresponding SPÖ politicians will be filed, he announced.

The executive director of the Federal Office for Anti-Corruption (BAK) and a retired BAK official have been invited to Sobotka. The BAK took over the investigation after the WKStA withdrew its confidence in the “Soko Tape” specially set up after the release of the Ibiza video. In addition, the MPs want to investigate why the BAK was started in May 2019 at the start of the investigation in favor of the “Soko Tape”.