Live Broadcast of the Pilnacek Committee of Inquiry Still Unclear

Representatives of the parliamentary parties discussed on Wednesday afternoon in the National Council's Rules of Procedure Committee whether the upcoming investigative committee on the Pilnacek case could be broadcast live. There was no result at the meeting on a "technical level," and a follow-up appointment was scheduled for the end of November/beginning of December, according to parliamentary factions in the afternoon to the APA. The unresolved issue of safeguarding personal rights remains in focus.

Consultations on live broadcast postponed without result

An agreement on Wednesday was already considered unlikely in advance. Recently, all factions have shown themselves to be generally open to live broadcasts - including the ÖVP, which had previously mainly referred to the safeguarding of personal rights of the informants. This issue remains in focus, as ÖVP faction leader Andreas Hanger said to the APA after the Wednesday meeting.

A further meeting on a technical level has now been agreed upon, said the member of parliament. Further expertise is to be obtained: "A follow-up appointment is scheduled for the end of November, beginning of December with the involvement of an experienced procedural judge and a procedural lawyer." The central question remains the balance between the interest in a live broadcast on one side and the protection of personal rights on the other side, said Hanger.

FPÖ referred to already submitted motion in advance

On the eve of the meeting, FPÖ Secretary General Christian Hafenecker referred to a motion already submitted by him and FPÖ club director Norbert Nemeth for the implementation of live broadcasts. "Our motion is already before the National Council, it could be quickly brought to the first reading." "The chance is alive," he said regarding whether a change in the rules of procedure could still be made before the start of the hearings in January.

The model in Germany, which the FPÖ also referred to, is considered a possible example. In the German Bundestag, audio and video broadcasts are generally also not permitted. However, exceptions are possible, requiring the approval of both two-thirds of the members of parliament and the informants. This usually concerns the questioning of particularly high-ranking politicians, such as government members.

Implementation before the start of the investigative committee is becoming increasingly unlikely. Such a step could have been possible through the December plenary session, which now seems to be off the table; a regular National Council meeting is also scheduled in January.

NEOS: Solution Possible - Greens Regret Development

The deputy club chairman of the NEOS, Nikolaus Scherak, emphasized in the evening that the live broadcast would indeed be feasible: "A legally sound solution is possible from our point of view, provided that all parties involved seriously strive for it and truly want the broadcast," it was stated in a statement to the APA.

With regret, the Green parliamentary leader Nina Tomaselli commented on the state of negotiations after the meeting: "Those interested in the investigative committee will probably be disappointed because it probably won't work out again," the deputy saw little chance of implementing the live broadcasts before the start of the committee.

In addition to the FPÖ, the NEOS and the Greens had clearly spoken out in favor of the live broadcasts. The SPÖ also showed willingness but repeatedly referred to the necessary protection of the personal rights of those questioned and to data protection.

Investigative Committee Constitutes in Two Weeks

The investigative committee requested by the FPÖ regarding the case of the deceased justice section chief Christian Pilnacek was formally established with a call in the National Council plenary at the special session on October 22. The constitutive meeting is planned for November 19. The transmission of files and documents is to be completed by December 17. The interrogations are set to properly begin in January.

According to the FPÖ's request, the investigative committee is to serve the "clarification of political influence on investigations in the Pilnacek case." The former justice section chief was found dead in October 2023, with investigative authorities speaking of clear suicide. The FPÖ suspects political interventions in the investigations through the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Justice, as well as the Chancellery. The Freedom Party wants to focus on the period from October 19, 2023, the day before Pilnacek's death, to September 4, 2025, when the responsibility for the investigations was transferred from the Krems public prosecutor's office to the Eisenstadt public prosecutor's office.

(APA/Red)

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