Image: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH
This emerges from the minutes of the interrogation of the former FP finance officer Ulrike Nittmann by the Vienna public prosecutor’s office, as reported by “Der Standard” and the magazine “Spiegel”.
The public prosecutor’s office has been investigating the “expenses affair” against Strache for months. The question is whether he could have charged private expenses to his party via false expense reports. It should be about more than one million euros. Strache rejects any responsibility. It is the presumption of innocence.
Legal at the time
After the examination by tax consultants and the Federal Audit Office, the material was deemed “no longer relevant for us” and destroyed, Nittmann is quoted as saying. That was still legal back then. Only after a reform of the party law in the previous year do these invoices and receipts have to be kept for seven years.
However, the federal rules of procedure of the FPÖ stipulated at the time of the destruction that files must also be kept for seven years. Dominik Nepp, today state chairman of the Vienna Blues, was FP finance officer for many years. The Vienna FP did not want to comment on the reports on the shredded files over the weekend. There are reasons for this, the party said.
In addition to Strache, other FP politicians are also being investigated in the expenses affair. However, because the party has only handed over those documents that concern the ex-boss, this fuels speculation about a specific intention.
Source: Nachrichten
