The so-called Ibiza scandal has tangible legal consequences. The Vienna Regional Court is convinced that the former Austrian Vice Chancellor was bribed. The populist has reached a low point in his career.
The former Austrian Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache was found guilty of bribery. The Vienna Regional Court sentenced the 52-year-old to a 15-month suspended prison sentence on Friday. The trial was about the purchase of the law: According to the indictment, Strache helped the owner friend of a private clinic to make a beneficial change to the law. In return, donations are said to have flowed to the right-wing FPÖ, whose chairman Strache was at the time.
Strache and the co-defendant Walter Grubmüller, the owner of the Währing private clinic, were “guilty,” said the judge. Grubmüller were sentenced to twelve months probation for bribery. “The chronology of events” leaves no doubt as to the facts of corruption. The judge explained that it was “unbelievable” that the politician did not want to know anything about the donations. Strache had previously denied any wrongdoing. His defense attorney, like Grubmüller’s attorney, had demanded an acquittal. The judgments are not yet final.
Large donation and invitation to the Greek island
The focus of the process was on the entrepreneur’s efforts to gain access to the state private hospital financing fund with his Vienna beauty clinic. Inclusion in the fund makes it easier to offset medical services. The man donated a total of 12,000 euros in 2016 and 2017 to the FPÖ, which was still in opposition at the time. He also invited Strache to the island of Corfu. The clinic finally got access to the fund in 2018 after Strache became Vice Chancellor.
The coalition between the FPÖ and the conservative ÖVP under Chancellor Sebastian Kurz burst in May 2019 after the so-called Ibiza video was published. In the covertly filmed recordings, Strache had spoken about questionable methods of party funding and political influence. He subsequently resigned from his offices.
Note: This article has been updated.
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