Austrian court overturns former Chancellor Kurz's perjury conviction
A court in Vienna has acquitted former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz of giving false testimony during a parliamentary investigation into alleged corruption in his government, overturning a suspended prison sentence, the Associated Press reports .
Judges at the Higher Regional Court in Vienna overturned Kurz's conviction after a brief appeal hearing.
"It turned out what I always said, namely that I did not lie to the parliamentary investigation," Kurz told reporters after the trial.
Kurz became chancellor in 2017 at the age of just 31 and served twice until he resigned in 2021 amid an investigation into suspected bribery and breach of trust.
In June 2020, prosecutors accused him of giving false testimony regarding his role in establishing the OeBAG holding company, which manages the state's stake in some companies.
In February 2024, Kurtz was found guilty of making false statements regarding the appointment of a company's supervisory board. He was given an eight-month suspended sentence.
This was the first time in more than 30 years that a former Austrian chancellor had been put on trial.
Kurz is expected to return to politics after the appeal is resolved. His People's Party still leads the government under current Chancellor Christian Stocker.
- In May 2019, Kurz's government was dismissed after a scandal surrounding the former leader of the APS, former Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache. At that time, the media published videos showing Strache offering political favors to the alleged niece of a Russian oligarch in exchange for illegal financial assistance to his party at a hotel in Ibiza .
- Six months later, early parliamentary elections were held in Austria. The ANP, led by Kurz, won again.
- Later, Austrian law enforcement officers came to search Kurz's office in Vienna.
- On December 2, 2021, Kurz announced that he was leaving politics.
