New Week Brings Decision on Kurz Verdict

In the first instance, Kurz received an eight-month suspended sentence, and his former chief of staff Bernhard Bonelli received six months. Both did not accept the verdict last February and filed appeals against it.

The conviction concerned the appointment of the supervisory board in the state holding company ÖBAG, where Kurz, according to the first court's assessment, allegedly lied during his questioning in the investigative committee by giving the impression that he had essentially nothing to do with it. However, Kurz was acquitted regarding the appointment of the ÖBAG board by Thomas Schmid. The Economic and Corruption Prosecutor's Office (WKStA) accepted the first-instance decisions. Kurz has always denied having deliberately given false testimony in the investigative committee.

Decision on Monday

After Kurz and Bonelli were convicted on February 23, 2024, it took almost nine months for the appeals to be forwarded to the OLG, partly due to the defense's submissions. On Monday, it will be decided whether the convictions "hold." Of course, the OLG can also confirm them but change the sentence. If the second instance delivers a verdict, it is legally binding. However, a (partial) referral back to the first court is also possible.

The public hearing is scheduled for about three hours. No witnesses are summoned. "The fact that appeals are publicly negotiated does not allow any conclusions to be drawn about the outcome of the hearing. Since there are two defendants, the law provides for this procedure," said the OLG spokeswoman, Susanne Lehr, in advance to the APA. The demand is expected to be high, which is why media representatives had to accredit themselves in advance.

(APA/Red)

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