Austria’s former chancellor Sebastian Kurz on Wednesday said he was innocent as he went on trial for allegedly giving false testimony, in the latest corruption scandal to rock the EU member.
[ad]
Kurz is the highest-profile figure implicated in a series of scandals, and the case marks the first time in more than 30 years that a former chancellor has stood trial.

Once hailed as a “wunderkind” of Europe’s conservatives, Kurz stepped down as chancellor two years ago following a string of graft accusations, including spending public money for favourable media coverage.

It marked a spectacular fall of the charismatic hardliner, who became the world’s youngest democratically elected head of government in 2017 at the age of 31.

Kurz went on trial for allegedly providing false testimony in 2020 to a parliamentary committee probing numerous graft allegations.

“I hope for a fair process, and that in the end the accusations will be proven wrong,” Kurz, 37, told reporters outside the courtroom before entering.
[ad]
Dressed in a light shirt and dark suit, he slammed a “politicisation” of his case and said he was “confident” he would be acquitted.

If found guilty, Kurz could face up to three years in jail.

– ‘Put to test’ –
The trial started just after 9:30 am (0730 GMT) in a courtroom packed with media. Kurz nodded to the audience before taking a seat, next to two co-accused.

Kurz is only expected to testify later this week as opening statements are likely to take up most of the time on Wednesday.

Prosecutors have said they plan to call about 20 witnesses, including Kurz’s former finance minister and other high-profile officials.
[ad]
The former chancellor is accused of having downplayed his influence in appointing the head of a state-run company.

But chat messages leaked to the media suggested that Kurz discussed the matter with the official, who in one message says “I’m so happy. I love my chancellor.”

Prosecutors have so far failed to land convictions linked to the series of scandals that have rocked the Alpine country of nine million people since 2019.

The prosecution, as well as the court itself, are “being put to the test,” Die Presse daily noted in an editorial this week.

About three quarters of cases involving false testimony usually end in convictions, according to justice ministry statistics.
[ad]
– Kurz movies –
In a separate case, prosecutors are investigating Kurz on suspicion of embezzling public funds to pay for polls which were skewed to boost his image and for favourable coverage to help his political rise.

Though Kurz — who denies all accusations — has stepped back, the conservative People’s Party OeVP continues to govern in a coalition with the Greens, but their approval ratings have plummeted.

This has played into the hands of the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe), which polls suggest now has around 30 percent support ahead of elections next year.

With a new leadership, the party has managed to overcome the so-called “Ibizagate” scandal that engulfed it in 2019 and brought down Kurz’s first government.
[ad]
His then vice-chancellor and far-right leader Heinz-Christian Strache stepped down after a video, filmed secretly on the Spanish resort island of Ibiza, showed him offering public contracts to a woman posing as a Russian oligarch’s niece in exchange for campaign help.

Despite having left politics, Kurz — whose social media posts regularly show his jet-setting lifestyle and meetings with conservative politicians — continues to make headlines.

In September, several movies about his political career were released almost simultaneously — one critical and two others flattering, with Kurz only giving interviews for the latter ones.

He is now involved in numerous private international enterprises, including launching a cybersecurity company with the ex-head of Israel’s NSO Group, which makes the controversial Pegasus spyware.
[ad unit=2]