Wolfgang Brandstetter Indicted After Parliamentary Inquiry for False Testimony

He is accused of having given false testimony before the ÖVP corruption committee in March 2022 by claiming that he could not hand over his private mobile phone during a seizure because he did not have it with him, but at home. A date for the main hearing at the Vienna Regional Court has not yet been set.

Data from Mobile Phone

Based on the data from his mobile phone, it was determined that contrary to his statement, Brandstetter did indeed have his phone with him on February 25, 2021. He admitted this during the investigation and "explained his false statement by saying that he had memory gaps due to health issues," the investigating Innsbruck public prosecutor's office announced in a release on Tuesday. They assume intentional false testimony. The presumption of innocence applies to Brandstetter.

Discontinuation of Investigations

In several other points, the investigations against the former minister were discontinued. Just last week, the Innsbruck public prosecutor's office announced that the allegations of breach of official secrecy and abuse of office were off the table. Among other things, he was accused of having incited the now-deceased head of the justice department, Christian Pilnacek, to reveal a house search at the entrepreneur Michael Tojner. It also concerned personnel decisions during his time as minister.

(APA/Red)

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