Thomas Schmid’s appearance on the ÖVP’s corruption investigation committee was eagerly awaited on Thursday. However, this was short-lived as the former Secretary General of the Ministry of Finance and former head of ÖBAG persistently refused to testify. Schmid constantly referred to his right to refuse to testify.
Don’t mind the penalties
The president and second president of the National Council, Doris Bures (SPÖ), agreed with the judge and acknowledged the refusal by announcing that the Federal Administrative Court (BVwG) would be asked to avoid fines. Schmid was unimpressed and stuck with his line.
factions expected a lot
The factions were expecting a lot from Schmid’s appearance, as he is the central figure on a number of issues, largely sparked by his chats guaranteed by the Public Ministry for Economy and Corruption (WKStA). From the start, Schmid made it clear that he wanted to refuse all statements.
He justified this by saying that his testimony before the WKStA was not yet complete, as he stated in his opening statement. That’s why he didn’t want to answer any questions, because all the topics had to do with the criminal process. If the subcommittee disagrees, the courts would have to clarify that. Schmid backed this up with legal considerations.
Each issue must be analyzed on a case-by-case basis.
After a brief stand, President Bures explained that the research would still be continued, but that each issue would be examined on a case-by-case basis. As Procedural Judge Wolfgang Pöschl later explained, he was of the opinion that the facts that the Ministry of Justice had declared admissible meant that a final assessment of the investigation had already taken place. “I don’t see you exposing yourself to more prosecution for testifying again where you already confessed.” Therefore, he will take a case-by-case examination for each question.
However, Schmid adhered to this and repeatedly mentioned his right to refuse to testify – as in Judge Wolfgang Pöschl’s first question about the so-called leg scraper tool: “I am the accused in several cases, the subject blocks are related , and the interrogation at the WKStA has not yet been completed.”
However, Bures and Pöschl did not accept this credibility. Therefore, after repeated inquiries, the president announced a request for a fine in the Federal Administrative Court.
more threats
Then continued in this tone. Schmid responded to all questions with, “I continue to refuse to testify.” And Pöschl replied: “I still think the refusal to testify is not justified.” After asking questions twice, Bures announced a request for a reconciliation sentence “on the recommendation of the judge of first instance”.
After another interruption, the factions initially agreed to continue this questionable spectacle. Schmid was thus threatened with one sanction request after another.
With his remarks to the WKStA, Schmid incriminated several prominent ÖVP politicians – including former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and National Council President Wolfgang Sobotka.
Political progress in focus
SPÖ parliamentary group leader Kai Jan Krainer expected nothing less from the poll than a confession from Schmid, including a statement on behalf of whom he acted. His colleagues at ÖVP and Neos, Andreas Hanger and Stephanie Krisper, did not believe that Schmid’s statement could result in anything new in terms of content. However, Krisper wanted to trace how the ministries were misused for his own political advancement – Schmid was the central figure for this.
Green faction leader Nina Tomaselli wants to show the parallels between Kurz and Schmid and check their statements carefully: “They both play on the same team. It’s about their own personal advancement, the rest doesn’t matter to them.” At the same time, it was necessary to clarify how entrepreneurs like Siegfried Wolf and Rene Benko could “enter the heart of financial management”.
Hanger again stated that he did not want to jeopardize the WKStA investigations with his questions. However, this could have been “more balanced” – for example, keeping the investigation file under lock and key until the end of Schmid’s interrogation. He even called Schmid a “liar” – this has been proven. The only question is who he lied to – the investigative authorities or Kurz.
Also former chief of staff to former Chancellor Werner Faymann on the subcommittee
Hanger concluded his remarks with a “say from my childhood”: “A man who lies once is not believed.” “And if he also speaks the truth,” added FPÖ parliamentary group leader Christian Hafenecker. Thank God there are about 350,000 chat messages from Schmid, with which he became the “ÖVP chronicler”. Hafenecker expected a “political wrestling” from today’s poll.
After Schmid, the former chief of staff of former Chancellor Werner Faymann (SPÖ), Nicole Bayer, will come to the subcommittee in the afternoon as a source of information. (apa)