Ibiza Gate: Austrian justice system prevents Stracha from clearing its name | Israel today

In a court in the city of St. Platen, west of Vienna, a trial began this week that allegedly involved drug trafficking.

To be more precise: the sale of 1.25 kilograms of cocaine for 50,000 euros (about 190,000 shekels).

Quite a negligible and frequent affair, had he not been accused of drug trafficking he would have been one of the main figures in directing and organizing the biggest political scandal in the history of modern Austria: the "Ibiza-Gate" affair, which about two years ago led to the fall of the Conservative right-wing government led by Chancellor Sebastian Kurtz. , Of the political career of the then deputy chancellor and leader of the populist right-wing "Freedom Party", Heinz-Christian Stracha.

The accused, who is on trial for drug trafficking, is none other than the dubious private detective, Julian the Centaler, who was behind the recording of a private meeting held at the Ibiza resort between Stracha and another senior member of his party who introduced herself as a relative of a well-known Russian oligarch. The publication of extensive excerpts from the secret photos of the meeting presented at the time Stracha, as a corrupt politician, who is willing to trade in government tenders in exchange for financial and media assistance - which his party will receive from the Russian oligarch. Stracha, who claimed he was innocent, and that some of his remarks at that meeting were under the influence of alcohol, was forced to resign because of the public outcry from his positions in government and party and later left his party, which did not give him the backing he had hoped for. He formed his own party, tried to run for mayor of Vienna, but suffered a resounding defeat. His recent attempts to return to the Freedom Party were blocked by party leaders, his former partners. The politician with the neo-Nazi past, who became a threat to the Austrian political system, was neutralized.

Reminder: In May 2019, shortly before the European elections - where all the predictions of a significant strengthening of populist right-wing parties across the EU were expected, including the Austrian Freedom Party, which is considered a pillar of Europe's populist right-wing camp when it first entered government. Germans (the Zoddeutsche Zeitung and Der Spiegel, both affiliated with the left) are very extensive excerpts from a video secretly recorded from a meeting held two years earlier in Ibiza between Stracha, the head of the Freedom Party faction in the Austrian parliament, Johan Gudznus, and herself As the niece of the Russian oligarch Igor Makarov - formerly a member of Russia's national cycling team, who became a very wealthy businessman. The meeting, held in the summer of 2017, about three months before the general election in Austria, lasted about seven hours. In excerpts from the long conversation, it seems that Tracha is negotiating with the "oligarch's niece" over financial support from Makarov for his party,And also possible media support after Makarov and his associates, with the help of Stracha, took control of the most popular daily newspaper in Austria, the Kronen Zeitung, which has a circulation of up to three million copies. The Kronen Zeitung is the media outlet with the greatest influence on the Austrian public. Whoever receives his support and sympathy, his political status and future are more than guaranteed. In return, the possibility was discussed, that after the election - assuming that the "Freedom Party" returns to the government, Makarov and his people will win tenders and government contracts.Return to government, Makarov and his men will win tenders and government contracts.Return to government, Makarov and his men will win tenders and government contracts.

There was no bribe offer. The meeting in Ibiza,

Allegedly, a bribery deal is downright corrupt. The Freedom Party did become a member of Kurtz's government after the election. None of what was said at the meeting in Ibiza came to fruition, meaning there was no bribery deal at all. For two whole years, the recording of the meeting remained confidential, until it was time for a political assassination on the part of the European left, even though there was no real reason for the assassination. After the video was partially released, it turned out to be a staged trap, behind it stood the private detective Santaler and an Austrian-born Tehran lawyer, Ramin Mirfahrai, who sought to trap Stracha and at the same time enrich themselves. The initiative was by the Iranian-Austrian lawyer, the execution was entrusted to the private investigator, and for the role of "oligarch's niece" a student of agriculture from Bosnia was selected, who has nothing to do with Makarov. For two years, Mirfaharai tried to sell the video to various parties. Eventually, he was sold according to various publications to a left-wing political organization in Germany for 600,000 euros and was transferred to the German media which made him very trending for reasons.

All of Stracha's allegations of innocence, and his demands to publish the video in full to substantiate the allegations against him were to no avail. He resigned from the government and the leadership of his party. Chancellor Kurtz, who at first did not like his dependence on the "Freedom Party" in which he saw a competitor, was quick to fire the interior minister from Stracha's party, the right-wing government disbanded, and Austria went to early elections, forming the current Conservative-Green coalition. A similar government that may under certain circumstances also stand up in Germany after the upcoming elections. Since then, more clips of the video have been released from Ibiza, proving that Stracha constantly suspected it was a trap and made it clear that he did not intend to do anything illegal. But, in the contemporary politics of field law who is it already interesting?

Stracha tried to sue the secret tape initiators. A 40-year-old European arrest warrant has been issued in Austria for the illegal use of recording and filming devices, an attempt to blackmail and trafficking cocaine. The centurion was arrested last December in Berlin, imprisoned and extradited to Austria for his drug trafficking. The judges found that the other charges were null and void, as they were part of the freedom of opinion and information. The senator and Mirfahrai claimed that they initiated the trap in Ibiza to prove how the political system in Austria works. Idealism is wrapped up in financial gains. But the duo's dubious motives do not bother the European and Austrian left, which sees them as heroes. 15 "Human rights organizations", in which Amnesty International organized to protest the centurion's trial, claiming it was a political persecution, intended to send a clear message to anyone who tried to initiate similar moves against other politicians in the future: the establishment will find a way to prosecute you for your actions. For left-wing organizations,The elimination of right-wing political opponents sanctifies all means - including the activation of "left-liberal" media, which in turn press the authorities to indict their opponents in fabricated or staged cases. This is how they tried to eliminate the career of Geert Vihadas in the Netherlands, of Matteo Slavini in Italy and these days of the French-Jewish publicist and writer, national right-winger Eric Zamor, who is considering running for president of his country. Israel is not the only one dealing with these nefarious practices.