He is accused of having intervened with the former chief of staff of the Ministry of Finance, Thomas Schmid, for the appointment of an Upper Austrian ÖVP mayor to the board of the tax office for Braunau, Ried, and Schärding. Two officials from the Ministry of Finance are also charged alongside him.

The alleged intervention is said to have occurred in 2017, when Wöginger was already a member of the National Council. The case is part of the extensive file on Casinos Austria, triggered by the Ibiza scandal. The investigators rely, among other things, on chats in which Schmid wrote to Wöginger: "We did it (...) The mayor owes you one!" Wöginger found that "really great." The ÖVP politician is also incriminated by a former employee of the Ministry of Finance.

ÖVP Politician as Instigator

Wöginger is charged as a so-called instigator for abuse of official authority, as the WKStA announced on Thursday. This means he is allegedly at the beginning of a so-called chain of instigation. Specifically, the later preferred candidate is said to have approached Wöginger as a party friend and asked for his support in obtaining the position of head of the tax office. Wöginger, in turn, is said to have then approached Schmid.

Schmid, who is now considered a key witness, is then said to have influenced one of the two co-accused officials of the Ministry of Finance to achieve the desired ranking, according to the WKStA's accusation. The other - high-ranking - official, who was politically close to Wöginger and the candidate, is said to have participated in the unlawful appointment as chairman of the evaluation commission on his own initiative.

Wöginger Charged with Abuse of Office

Wöginger has always maintained his innocence in the case. "I have always said: Of course, I was pleased that someone from my region got the position. And I have always considered him a qualified, impeccable, and suitable candidate for this position," he said in a written statement in response to an APA inquiry. "I do not know the other applicants, and I have never influenced the independent commission that made the decision."

Wöginger received support from his party. "Parliamentary group leader August Wöginger continues to have our fullest confidence," said Secretary General Nico Marchetti in a written statement, adding: "We acknowledge the step taken by the WKStA. There is no reason to doubt the statements of parliamentary group leader August Wöginger."

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.