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Austria ex-leader Sebastian Kurz presents himself as victim at trial

Austria's former chancellor Sebastian Kurz told a court Friday he was the victim of a selective prosecution and an opposition out to "destroy him", defending himself against accusations of having given false testimony.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz
Austria's former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz had defended the benefit cuts. STEFANIE LOOS / AFP

Kurz, 37, denies having lied to a 2020 parliamentary inquiry probing a series of corruption scandals that have rocked the Alpine EU member since 2019. The charismatic conservative hardliner — who shot to power in 2017,
becoming chancellor at age 31 — stepped down in 2021 following a string of graft allegations.

Testifying in court Friday, Kurz accused prosecutors of having misinterpreted his answers to the 2020 inquiry, and of having submitted selected pieces of evidence to paint a skewed picture. He also felt prosecutors were not treating him under the principle that “everyone is equal before the law”, he said.

Describing the atmosphere in the aftermath of the 2019 so-called “Ibizagate” graft scandal, he said: “The goal was to implicate an ever increasing number of politicians” for corruption.

The opposition “wanted to destroy me”, he added, insisting he had answered questions put to him at the inquiry despite being under pressure. “Fear shaped my formulations…,” he said. “I was afraid” that his words could be turned against him, he said.

Disputed chat messages

The former chancellor is accused of having downplayed his influence in appointing the head of a state-owned company. Kurz insisted that while he had been informed about the appointment, he did not decide on it, dismissing prosecutors’ suggestions that he had sought to control everything.

Some of his chat messages cited in court suggested that Kurz had discussed the appointment with the official, Thomas Schmid.

In one such message, read out in court, Kurz wrote to Schmid: “You get everything you want,” adding several “kiss” emojis, to which Schmid replied: “I’m so happy :-))) I love my chancellor.”

Kurz denied those messages showed he had decided on Schmid’s appointment.

If convicted, Kurz could face up to three years in jail. It is not clear yet how soon the trial can wrap up, as the judge has said he wants to hear from several witnesses, including Schmid himself.

It is the first time in more than 30 years that a former chancellor has stood trial. Kurz — once hailed as a “wunderkind” of Europe’s conservatives — is the highest-profile figure implicated in a series of scandals.

In a separate case, prosecutors are investigating him on suspicion of having embezzled public money to fund polls skewed to boost his image, and to pay for favourable coverage to help his political rise.

Prosecutors have so far failed to land any convictions since a video emerged in 2019 showing Kurz’s then-vice chancellor of the far-right party offering public contracts to a purported Russian investor for campaign help.

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POLITICS

Austrias far right demands an EU ‘remigration’ commissioner

Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) on Tuesday called for the government to name an EU "remigration" commissioner after winning the EU elections in the Alpine nation.

Austrias far right demands an EU 'remigration' commissioner

The FPOe espouses the far-right concept of remigration that calls for expelling people of non-European ethnic backgrounds who they say have failed to integrate.

While it is up to the conservative government to nominate any commissioner, the FPOe said its first nationwide win at the ballot box gave it the right to name someone to the role and dictate their portfolio.

In the EU elections, the FPOe took 25.4 percent of the votes, just ahead of the ruling conservative People’s Party (OeVP) on 24.5 percent.

“What I have noticed in the last few weeks during the election campaign is that there is above all a need for sensible migration policy, that there is a need for remigration,” FPOe secretary general Christian Hafenecker told a press conference.

“We need a remigration commissioner,” he added, putting forward an FPOe official to fill the role.

It is not the first time the FPOe has espoused the concept

In 2023, party leader Herbert Kickl said that those who “refuse to integrate” should lose their citizenship and be expelled.

The notion of remigration is associated with white nationalists who champion the great replacement conspiracy theory.

The theory alleges a plot to replace Europe’s so-called native white population with non-white migrants.

The United Nations rights chief warned in March that the conspiracy theories spread are “delusional” and racist and are directly spurring violence.

The FPOe is expected to top the vote in September’s national elections, but will probably need to find willing coalition partners to govern.

The party — founded in the 1950s by former Nazis — has been part of a ruling coalition several times but has never governed the country of nine million.

READ ALSO: ANALYSIS: What does Austria’s far-right win in the EU elections mean for foreigners?

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