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Austria's Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz
Photo: CLEMENS BILAN / EPA
Austrian investigators searched the party headquarters of the ÖVP in Vienna's Lichtenfelsgasse on Wednesday morning.
This is reported by the daily newspaper Der Standard and other Austrian media, citing people who are familiar with the process.
According to reports, there was also a house search in the Chancellery on Ballhausplatz.
August Wöginger, the leader of the Chancellor's party in parliament, confirmed that house searches had taken place.
He criticized the investigative steps.
According to the »Standard«, the focus is on Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and his closest circle.
The Chancellor's party ÖVP and the »Media Group Austria« are also among the accused.
The allegations were of breach of trust, bribery and corruption.
It is about surveys that have been published in the media and paid for by the Ministry of Finance.
In addition, according to "Standard", it is about "advertising and media cooperation agreements with a total volume of" around 1.3 million euros.
As a result, »opportunities to influence the content and times of publications in the editorial section« should have been used.
In that case, the then General Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Thomas Schmid, and a press spokesman are said to have promised "advantages for Sebastian Kurz, the group of his closest confidants and the ÖVP".
Briefly, so the accusation, as Foreign Minister and then as Chancellor Schmid should have determined, that is, instigated and contributed to the infidelity of others.
ÖVP speaks of "constructed allegations"
The ÖVP published a press release in the morning. »After the false accusations that have already been made against Sebastian Kurz, Josef Pröll, Gernot Blümel, Hartwig Löger and Bernhard Bonelli and others, all of which have now turned out to be unfounded, further allegations are now being constructed about events that were partly five years ago «It says in it. That always happens "with the same goal and system": to massively damage the People's Party and Sebastian Kurz.
A party friend of the Chancellor, the ÖVP politician Andreas Hanger, had attacked the investigating economic and corruption prosecutor (WKStA) at a press conference the day before.
He has "the impression that there are two different standards in Austria";
that there are »politically motivated house searches by left-wing cells in the WKStA«.
Hanger did not provide any evidence for this.
The economic and corruption prosecutor initially gave no information about the searches, but announced a press release.
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