Austria’s former Chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, is once again heading to court. On Monday, the Vienna Higher Regional Court will hear his appeal against a previous conviction for giving false testimony to the Ibiza Inquiry Committee, reported by the Kurier.
In February 2024, Kurz was given an eight-month suspended sentence. His former chief of staff, Bernhard Bonelli, received six months. Both men appealed the decision, claiming they had done nothing wrong.
The case is centered around how board members were chosen for the state holding company, ÖBAG. The court had decided that Kurz was not honest when he told the inquiry committee that he had little to do with those decisions. However, he was found not guilty in another part of the case that involved the appointment of Thomas Schmid as CEO of the same company.
Kurz has always denied lying to the committee on purpose. The Austrian anti-corruption office accepted the first court’s ruling and did not file any objections.
It took nearly nine months for the appeal to reach the higher court, partly due to delays from defense filings.
The hearing on Monday is expected to last about three hours. No witnesses will be called, and the session will be public. The court may confirm the verdicts, change the sentences, or send the case back for another trial. If a decision is made, it will be final.
“The fact that the hearing is public doesn’t suggest any particular outcome,” said court spokesperson Susanne Lehr. Due to high media interest, journalists had to register in advance to attend.
