The Strache video
The article: "Secret videos burden FPÖ leader StracheI - Is Austria's Vice Chancellor for sale?" from the SPIEGEL of May 17, 2019 won the reporter's prize in Berlin on Monday evening. On the occasion of the ceremony, we published the report and the detailed text again. For a limited time, this text is also available without a four-week free trial subscription. If you still want to complete a trial subscription, you can do so here.
Heinz-Christian Strache, the Austrian Vice-Chancellor and Chairman of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), expressed his willingness before the last National Council election to award public contracts in exchange for support in the election campaign. This emerges from secretly created video recordings, which were leaked to the SPIEGEL and the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" (SZ).
More in the SPIEGEL
Issue 21/2019
After her the darkness
Angela Merkel's apocalyptic view of the situation in the worldDigital Edition | Printed Edition | Apps | SUBSCRIPTION
Read the whole story here at SPIEGEL +.
They document a meeting of Strache and his confidant, today's FPÖ parliamentary group leader Johann Gudenus, in July 2017 in Ibiza with the alleged niece of a Russian oligarch. The woman said that she wanted to invest about a quarter of a billion euros in Austria, and hinted several times that this could be black money. Nevertheless, Strache and Gudenus stayed at the meeting for a good six hours and discussed investment opportunities in Austria. The meeting had obviously been organized as a trap for the FPÖ politicians.
THE MIRROR
One scenario, which fathomed the round, was the then supposedly assumed takeover of the "Kronen Zeitung" by the woman. "If she takes over the Kronen Zeitung three weeks before the election and brings us to the first place, then we can talk about everything," said Strache the woman according to the video footage. In concrete terms, the FPÖ leader promised her public contracts in road construction if she helped the FPÖ succeed: "Then she should set up a company like Strabag, and then she will get all the government contracts that Strabag now gets." He further said: "The first in a government participation, what I can say today: The Haselsteiner gets no more orders!" This refers to Hans Peter Haselsteiner, the long-standing CEO and co-owner of the construction group Strabag.
photo gallery
10 pictures
Strache-Video: "All state orders get them"In addition, Strache and Gudenus revealed at the meeting a possibly illegal system of party financing that could have been established by the FPÖ. "There are a few very wealthy people who pay between 500,000 and one and a half to two million," said Strache, according to the video footage. The money does not flow to the FPÖ, but to an association. "The club is charitable and has nothing to do with the party, so you do not have any reports to the Court of Auditors." Strache and Gudenus name the video several names of alleged major donors who have already paid or at least a promise. These denied on request of "Süddeutscher Zeitung" and SPIEGEL to have donated directly or indirectly to the FPÖ.
More at SPIEGEL +
The two politicians admitted the meeting in the villa on Ibiza on request. It was "a purely private" meeting in a "relaxed, informal and humid holiday atmosphere", said Strache in writing. "I have repeatedly referred to the relevant legal provisions and the need to comply with the Austrian legal system in this discussion on all issues." This also applies to "possibly in view of party donations or donations to charitable associations in the sense of the respective club statutes". Strache added that he or the FPÖ had "never received or granted any benefits" from these persons. "By the way," wrote Strache, "in addition to the fact that a lot of alcohol was served during the evening, there was also a high language barrier."
The most important questions about #StracheVideo:
What do the video recordings show?
The photos show a meeting in a villa in Ibiza on the evening of July 24, 2017. According to the videos, Heinz-Christian Strache, Johann Gudenus, his wife and another man who speaks German, and a woman who mainly speaks Russian and English on the video, have participated. The woman claims to be a rich Russian, and also wants to have Latvian citizenship. In Austria, she wants to invest large sums of money of questionable origin. She and her male companion promise to buy 50 percent of the Austrian "Kronen Zeitung", which the FPÖ could use. However, they expect a return from Strache and Gudenus.
See here commented excerpts from the video.
How did Strache and Gudenus react?
First of all, the two politicians do not break off the conversation, they discuss different options for more than six hours. Both emphasize repeatedly that they will not do anything illegal, while at the same time the woman is presented with various options for her investment that are at least questionable and possibly even illegal. There is no concrete agreement until the end of the meeting lasting several hours.
Cover picture of the SPIEGEL in Austria
What possible considerations are discussed?
Strache states, among other things, that the Austrian construction company Strabag should not receive public contracts in the event of an FPÖ government participation. Instead, the contract could go to a not yet founded company of the alleged Russian woman.
Strache also mentions a questionable form of party donation - via a nonprofit association. This could avoid the obligation to notify the Court of Auditors. Party donations must be reported in Austria from 50,000 euros. Donations of foreigners may only be accepted up to an amount of 2641 euros. Strache encourages the alleged Russin, she could indeed donate money on this way. Finally, other options are also discussed, such as "overpriced" government contracts, which appears to be at a charge to the taxpayer.
How did Strache and Gudenus react to the research?
SPIEGEL and "Süddeutsche Zeitung" wrote to Heinz-Christian Strache and Johann Gudenus on 15 May, giving them the opportunity to comment. The two politicians answered in writing about WhatsApp and admitted the meeting in the villa in Ibiza. It was "a purely private" meeting in a "relaxed, informal and humid holiday atmosphere", said Strache. "I have repeatedly referred to the relevant legal provisions and the need to comply with the Austrian legal system in this discussion on all issues." This also applies to "possibly in view of party donations or donations to charitable associations in the sense of the respective club statutes". Strache added that he or the FPÖ had "never received or granted any benefits" from these persons. Almost word for word expresses Johann Gudenus.
Where does the material come from?
The documents and files were leaked to the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" and SPIEGEL. For reasons of source protection, the SPIEGEL does not provide information about the origin.
How did the Spiegel check the authenticity of the recordings?
SPIEGEL and "Süddeutsche Zeitung" have had the crucial passages checked by a certified and certified expert for photo forensics, photo-anthropology and digital forensics. According to his analysis, the persons on the videos are clearly Strache, Gudenus and his wife. The expert did not find any evidence of manipulation of the recordings. Just as the Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology SIT, which has prepared another forensic report.
Parts of the conversation, which were conducted in whole or in part in Russian, has translated a sworn interpreter into German. In addition, "Süddeutsche Zeitung" and SPIEGEL have played the key passages to an external lawyer, who has reviewed the scripted quotes. He can attest that the scripted quotes agree with the video recordings. As usual, the documentation department of SPIEGEL has additionally reviewed the text including the cited citations.
Did the MIRROR pay for the information?
No. There was no cash flow, nor was there any other monetary value or other consideration. The "Süddeutsche Zeitung" thought it the same.
How did the SPIEGEL cooperate with the "Süddeutsche Zeitung"?
SPIEGEL and the Süddeutsche Zeitung were independently informed of the existence of the material. The two media houses have learned about it and then decided to cooperate. The Viennese weekly magazine "Falter" was given the opportunity to view the recordings before they were published.
What was the motivation of the people who took the pictures?
In addition, the SPIEGEL has no reliable knowledge and therefore does not participate in speculation about the possible motives.
Why does DER SPIEGEL print the statements from the secretly recorded videos?
The statements of today's Vice-Chancellor of Austria and his confidant have a high political relevance and are of public interest. Therefore, the SPIEGEL has decided to print.
What happened after the meeting in Ibiza?
There are no reliable findings available to the SPIEGEL. Both politicians claim that they no longer had any contact with the woman after the meeting. The "Kronen Zeitung" still belongs to 50 percent of the Dichand family. The other half belonged at the time of the Ibiza meeting about the WAZ foreign holding of the German spark media group. In the autumn of 2018, the Signa Group of the Austrian entrepreneur René Benko bought 49 percent of WAZ Ausland Holding, becoming a co-owner of "Kronen-Zeitung". This was a "purely entrepreneurial decision," had Benko through a lawyer.
As early as mid-April, the satirist Jan Böhmermann had joked in a video greeting for the awarding of the Austrian television prize "Romy", he was "just coked up and Red-Bull-fueled with a few FPÖ business friends in a Russian oligarchs villa in Ibiza" around and negotiate the takeover of the Kronen-Zeitung.
So did Böhmermann already know about the recordings back then?
The circumstances of the Ibiza meeting were probably known to a number of people before SPIEGEL and Süddeutsche Zeitung report on it.
Will SPIEGEL make the recordings available to the authorities?
No, SPIEGEL will not provide authorities with the original recordings. The published compilation is of course also available to authorities.