Last Friday, an Austrian court convicted the country’s former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz for providing false evidence to parliament while giving his testimony. In related news, former head of cabinet Magistrate Bernhard Bonelli was also found guilty on one of the four charges brought against him in the same proceedings.
Judge Michael Radasztics issued a suspended sentence to Kurz of eight months, and a six-month suspended sentence to Bonelli. Although he faced three counts of providing false evidence, Kurz was only convicted on one of these accusations. Radasztics rationalized his decision, stating that he found Kurz’s testimony to be unconvincing.
Kurz later expressed his innocence online, indicating his hopes to be exonerated during a potential appeallate process. In addition, he conveyed to journalists his surprise at the verdict. The verdict is not yet final, and will be reviewed by an appeals court.
Earlier, in August 2023, Austrian prosecutors had filed charges against Kurz for giving false testimony in front of a parliamentary committee. Kurz and Bonelli were accused of misleading an investigative committee probing into allegations of corruption within Kurz’s political party, the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), on the back of the “Ibiza affair.” As part of this scandal, two politicians from the FPÖ were videotaped negotiating governmental contracts for the acquisition of the Austrian tabloid, Kronen Zeitung, in return for positive coverage.
Sebastian Kurz served twice as Austria’s Chancellor, the first stint from December 2017 till May 2019, and the second term from January 2020 to October 2021. Apart from heading the FPÖ from 2017 to 2021, he was also Austria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2013 to 2017.