Austria’s Ex-Chancellor Acquitted in Ibiza Scandal Appeal

Austria's former chancellor Sebastian Kurz was acquitted in connection with a corruption scandal that brought down his government six years ago, CE Report quotes MIA.

The so-called Ibiza scandal centred on Heinz-Christian Strache, former leader of the far-right Freedom of Austria (FPÖ) party, which was the junior partner in Kurz's government at the time.

In a secret video recording taken in Ibiza in 2019, Strache promised a supposed oligarch's niece future state contracts in exchange for support.

An earlier court ruled that Kurz had misled a parliamentary committee in 2020 by playing down his role in important personnel decisions at the state holding company Öbag, and handed him an eight-month suspended prison sentence.

In the appeal ruling on Monday, the higher court said that Kurz's answers at the time should not be considered false. He did not appear to have given complete and conclusive evidence, the court said.

Kurz's lawyer has argued that the now 38-year-old was interrupted while answering the crucial question and was therefore unable to testify fully.

Kurz expressed relief after the acquittal. He had been exposed to an "inordinate amount of controversy," he said, adding that he would be making more a detailed statement in the coming days.

For Kurz, the acquittal is an important victory in his wider entanglement with the judiciary.

Separately, prosecutors are still investigating whether Kurz had surveys paid for with taxpayers' money and government adverts placed in tabloid newspapers. In return for the adverts, Kurz's team is said to have hoped for positive coverage. The former chancellor denies the allegations.