The Ibiza video was published a year ago, but reports about the video and HC Strache have certainly increased again recently. A committee of inquiry is now beginning to investigate the affair, which has changed a lot in Austria.
Vienna (dpa) - Austria's most sought-after video at times has been secured, but the members of the Ibiza committee of inquiry are not yet allowed to see it. At least two weeks should pass before the hours of material can be handed over to the parliamentarians.
When the parliamentary commission of inquiry into the Ibiza affair with its deep cuts in the Alpine Republic begins on Thursday (10:00 a.m.), the two main actors are invited instead: ex-Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache and his former FPÖ party friend and Ibiza companion Johann Gudenus are allowed to present their view of what is probably the most fateful evening of their career to the committee.
The Ibiza video caught the Alpine Republic cold in May 2019, resulting in a severe government crisis. In a compilation of the video published by the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" and the "Spiegel", ex-Vice-Chancellor Strache appears susceptible to corruption. It even seems that he wants to sell half of the Republic of Austria to an alleged oligarch niece at the summer 2017 meeting in Ibiza.
After the recordings had been published, Strache resigned from all his offices and the alliance between the conservative ÖVP and the right-wing FPÖ broke up. Austria now has a new government. But the consequences of the video go far beyond the government constellation.
Because since May 2019, there has been extensive discussion in the Alpine Republic about party donations and possible job postings, and Strache also played the main role in a expenses scandal. He is said to have put party money in his own pocket during his time as FPÖ leader. Strache vehemently rejects this to this day, the public prosecutor is investigating. The right-wing FPÖ has clearly lost in importance due to all of this, the possibilities for party donations have been significantly restricted by law.
Now, a committee of inquiry is supposed to bring further clarity to the complicated Ibiza affair, especially the possible position clashes during the reign of conservative ÖVP and right FPÖ (December 2017 to May 2019) is in the focus. In addition, the members of the National Council will be interested to know which of the alleged donations by Austrian entrepreneurs mentioned by Strache in Ibiza actually flowed to parties and past the Court of Auditors. However, some of the alleged donors have already been apologized and will not answer the committee's questions on Friday as planned.
The fact that it became known just a few days before the U-Committee began that the Federal Criminal Police Office had been able to ensure hours of video footage of the fateful summer evening in Ibiza has given the whole Ibiza issue a new impetus in recent days. As the Austrian daily "Kurier" reported online on Tuesday, it will only be forwarded to the U-Committee after it has been copied and checked by two public prosecutors.
The two prosecutors should check whether the video affects personal rights. Strache recently rejected the full-length publication because it had told "ugly, unchecked, horrible rumors" about other people.
The exciting question of how the video was created shouldn't take up too much space in the U-Committee. The female decoy, which Strache called "schoaf" in Ibiza, is searched for with mug shots. In addition, it emerged from the interim investigations, which were always carried out externally, that a former bodyguard Straches in particular could have instigated the planned action against the right-wing populist.
In any case, the investigation into the complex is in full swing. The Federal Criminal Police Office recently announced that 55 house searches, 10 voluntary inspections and 259 formal interviews had already been carried out in the Causa Ibiza last year.
Austria's National Council on the committee of inquiry