Cause "House Construction": Investigations Against Kunasek Dropped

In the "House Construction" case, investigations were conducted against the Styrian governor Mario Kunasek (FPÖ) and three other accused, including the president of the state parliament Gerald Deutschmann (FPÖ).

Investigations in "House Construction" Case a Side Branch in the Financial Affair of FPÖ Graz

The investigations in the "House Construction" case against all four accused have been closed, the Klagenfurt public prosecutor's office announced on Maundy Thursday. Following an anonymous report, investigations were conducted on suspicion of breach of trust. The investigations were considered a side branch in the inquiries surrounding the financial affair of FPÖ Graz. The anonymous report, which suggested that there might have been malpractices around Kunasek's house construction in Graz, was received by the authorities in spring 2023. According to this, the same architect was allegedly commissioned for the construction project as for the renovation of the FPÖ Styria party headquarters on Conrad-von-Hötzendorfstraße in Graz, namely Deutschmann. According to the anonymous report, both projects were said to have been "supported and handled" by the party, according to the accusation. A damage of over 700,000 euros was at stake.

Initial Suspicion in "House Construction" Case Has Been Dispelled

According to the Klagenfurt public prosecutor's office, the initial suspicion in the investigations was not substantiated, on the contrary, it was even dispelled: "Based on the now fully available and aforementioned evidence, no indications can be found that the accused used funds for his private house construction" that he should not have used. Based on the available evidence, it is "completely traceable that all services provided and invoiced by the professionals were transferred/paid from the private, specifically for the house construction/living space creation established (credit) accounts of the spouses (Kunasek, note) and therefore the financial resources purely originate from the private domain of the two," can be inferred from the reasoning for the closure of the proceedings.

The loan amount taken by the couple and the paid amounts are also in a comprehensible relation to the actual costs incurred, "which, when viewed realistically, also appear realistic for a house construction with a living space of around 174 square meters". That the architect "only" charged for the preliminary design, the design, and the submission to the building authority and gifted further services such as construction supervision and execution planning to the spouses for their wedding is also not unusual and, due to the apparently existing friendship - beyond the common party affiliation - also understandable.

"House Construction" Case: Evidence in Line with Interrogations

Even in the construction of the party headquarters, "based on the available evidence, particularly the order letters, invoices, cover sheets for invoice verification, transfer receipts, and minutes of the state party executive meeting as well as the audit reports, it can be traced that all services offered and invoiced by the individual professionals were carried out for this construction project and no indications of overlaps" with Kunasek's house construction can be found. "The available written evidence can also be reconciled with the statements of the accused and the witnesses questioned," it continued.

(APA/Red)

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