Former Austrian Chancellor Kurzʼs conviction for perjury overturned

The Higher Regional Court of Vienna has acquitted former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz of perjury charges. The Vienna Regional Court had previously sentenced Kurz to eight months of suspended prison time, but this sentence was overturned.

Spiegel writes about this.

In 2020, then-Prime Minister Kurz testified before a parliamentary committee in the Ibiza case about his role in appointing members of the supervisory board of the state-owned holding company ÖBAG. The court of first instance found that the politician had downplayed his influence on the appointments.

Instead, the Supreme Court ruled that the former Chancellorʼs testimony was not false. The judges did not get the impression that Sebastian Kurz was providing complete and exhaustive information.

Kurz previously admitted that he "didnʼt do everything right" when testifying before the committee, adding that "I could have prepared better, but I didnʼt — and that was a mistake".

After the verdict, Kurz said he felt relieved, but at the same time complained about what he said was an excessive wave of criticism.

This justification, however, does not apply to another major investigation in which Kurz, his inner circle and several leading Austrian tabloids are suspected of media corruption. The charges are based on studies published in the media at the expense of the Ministry of Finance. They allegedly contain false data and were intended to promote government policy.

• In December 2021, Sebastian Kurz reported that he was leaving politics — from the position of chairman of the Austrian Peopleʼs Party and resigning from his mandate as a deputy.

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