Former FPÖ boss Heinz-Christian Strache, who stumbled upon the Ibiza video, is back in court. From Tuesday, he will have to answer for a second time for bribery at the Vienna Criminal Court. According to the indictment, he would have acquired a position on the supervisory board in Asfinag for co-defendant Upper Austrian real estate entrepreneur Siegfried Stieglitz for a donation to an association close to the FPÖ. Six days of the trial are scheduled, the latest in late July.
A prominent witness has also been invited: Third National Council president Norbert Hofer – who had replaced Strache as FPÖ leader and has since been replaced by Herbert Kickl himself – will testify on June 10. The Economic and Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (WKStA) has also investigated Hofer in this case. Because he was Minister of Infrastructure when Stieglitz took a seat on Asfinag’s supervisory board at the beginning of March 2018. However, the WKStA could not prove that Hofer was aware of the incriminating facts and therefore the proceedings against him were discontinued.
Accused chat messages against Strache
Strache, on the other hand, is charged with chat messages to or from Stieglitz that were evaluated after the Ibiza affair. The WKStA assumes that Stieglitz had already intervened with Strache in 2017 to get a commissionership in a state-owned company. From October 2017, the Steyr real estate entrepreneur transferred a total of 10,000 euros to the association “Austria in Motion” affiliated with FPÖ in four tranches of 2,500 euros each. In return, Strache allegedly got Stieglitz to Asfinag. The presumption of innocence applies to both suspects.
It starts on Tuesday, as usual, with the presentation of the prosecution, the answers of the defense lawyers and the statements of the two suspects. The judge also reserved the second day of the trial for this on Wednesday. Hofer, among others, will be interrogated on Friday 10 June. After a one-month break, more witness hearings are planned for July – on July 19 and 21. The verdict could fall on July 26.
Strache is already fighting a bribery conviction
Strache (like the WKStA) is already fighting a bribery conviction. In a first criminal trial after the Ibiza video was published, he was sentenced to 15 months on probation at the end of August 2021 in connection with the affair surrounding the private hospital financing fund (Prikraf). The proceedings concerned a suspected purchase of a law related to Währing’s private clinic, the clinic operator had donated a total of 12,000 euros to the federal FPÖ. However, this judgment is not yet final.
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.
