The focus is once again on the Constitutional Court (VfGH). Because the delivery order had been met “meticulously and completely”, his house had applied to the supreme court to suspend the execution proceedings, said Blümel on Tuesday.
37.000 E-Mails
The Constitutional Court asked Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen to use coercive measures by a federal authority to obtain the surrender of missing files in the finance department if necessary. What was done for Blümel with the subsequent handover of about 37,000 e-mails, from the point of view of the SPÖ, Neos and FPÖ, happened at best with gaps.
Some of the files are inadequate, i.e. not in electronic form and thus ended up in parliament without access to metadata. In some mailboxes there were only a few e-mails and “a handful of data”, which was “completely alien”, it said. The opposition has therefore asked Van der Bellen to now order the execution in accordance with his “constitutional obligations”. The head of state then asked the Constitutional Court to notify by Friday, June 25, whether the application for execution was still upheld.
Blümel, who will make his third appearance on the Ibiza Committee on Thursday (see box), has invited Van der Bellen to “in whatever form” personally convince himself in his house that the files are complete. In addition, they want to submit “external reports” that prove this. His employees have “only sorted out private things”. He therefore does not allow them to be drawn into “domestic political games”.
For SP parliamentary group leader Jan Krainer, Blümel’s assurances are untrustworthy because he himself admitted a week ago that he had “mistakenly forgotten” files relating to the appointment of ex-ÖBAG boss Thomas Schmid. The finance minister wants to “save himself with his maneuvers only over time,” said Krainer. The deadline for delivering files is July 15th. Neos parliamentary group leader Stephanie Krisper criticized the fact that Blümel pretended to want to protect the interests of his officials, when it was about withholding his files.
For FP chairman Herbert Kickl it is no longer a question of draining “acidic meadows”, but rather of “cesspools that have to be pumped out”. Kickl therefore wants to continue “the most successful underground committee of the Second Republic” in the fall and also include the “Wirecard scandal”.
From Josef Moser to Thomas Schmid
Ex-Justice Minister Josef Moser (VP) appears today as a witness in the Ibiza Committee. Moser should clarify whether he actually ordered through his Secretary General Christian Pilnacek not to allow the Corruption Prosecutor to play an active role in the Ibiza investigation. Agriculture Minister Elisabeth Köstinger (VP) should then be asked about positions in her area. The VP-close strategy consultant Daniel Kapp will then be asked about the investigation into the Ibiza video.
Finance Minister Gernot Blümel (VP) is on the committee for the third time (Causa Casinos) on Thursday. The committee chairman Wolfgang Sobotka (VP) will then make his second appearance as a witness. Ex-ÖBAG boss Thomas Schmid is also invited. In the end, however, he was considered unavailable. (luc)
