The Supreme District Court of Vienna has acquitted former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz of charges related to providing false testimony during the Austrian Parliament’s inquiry into the “IbizaGate” scandal, which led to the dissolution of the coalition government between the People’s Party (ÖVP) and the Freedom Party (FPÖ) in 2019.
This ruling reverses Kurz’s previous eight-month suspended sentence. In his parliamentary testimony, Kurz discussed his role in the appointments to the supervisory board of the state investment company Öbag, minimizing his influence and involvement. The court’s reasoning highlighted that Kurz’s statements “could not be deemed false at the time, as they did not represent a complete and definitive statement.” Kurz maintained that his testimony focused on “political truth” rather than strict procedural accuracy, emphasizing that he aimed not to mislead. “My intention was never to provide incorrect information,” he stated.
However, former cabinet chief Bernhard Bonelli was once again found guilty for inaccurately downplaying Kurz’s role in the selection process of the supervisory board’s executives.
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