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Leichtfried: “The current legal situation would have been sufficient” – Einwallner calls for strong involvement of parliament
Vienna (OTS / SK) – SPÖ Deputy Chief Jörg Leichtfried and SPÖ Security Spokesperson Reinhold Einwallner on Wednesday asked for a full explanation of the mistakes made by the Interior Ministry in the run-up to the terrorist attack in Vienna. “Ten days after the attack, we are stunned by the fact that the attack probably could have been prevented,” says Leichtfried, who sees “a string of errors in the minister’s area of responsibility that should not have happened this way.” Because the current legal situation would have been enough to remove the attacker from circulation. Leichtfried recapitulated what happened in the run-up to the attack: “What did the interior minister know, or what should he have known?” Asks the deputy club boss SPÖ. ****
Regarding the discussion on toughening of the law, Leichtfried reiterated that in the specific case the current legal situation would have been completely sufficient had it not been for errors. The task now is to make sure that we understand why these errors occurred and how to prevent them from occurring. If the government has specific proposals for legislative changes, they will be evaluated.
The Interior Minister’s reaction to portray the judiciary as guilty is a signal to Leichtfried that “something is wrong with the Interior Ministry and the Austrian Interior Minister.” One thing is clear: “Now you must be done with the fact that Nehammer has been trying for ten days with diversionary maneuvers and fog clouds to avoid an investigation! We demand that all the facts are put on the table, ”says Leichtfried. Therefore, the SPÖ will address an urgent request to the Minister of the Interior at the meeting of the National Council next week. The SPÖ wants to know the chronology of the failure of the authorities and the associated information flow; For example, why was the surveillance of the subsequent murderer by the secret service ended and why his activities were not noticed on social media.
Furthermore, it is unheard of for Nehammer to have identified his predecessor Kickl as the next culprit after the judiciary, because: “Without being Herbert Kickl’s defender: a functioning secret service would have easily outlived Kickl for two years,” says Leichtfried. “We have seen ÖVP favoritism in the security sector for 20 years. 20 years of partisan politics instead of quality, 20 years of spectacle at the cost of the security of our state. That’s the real problem, ”says Leichtfried. The ÖVP made the BVT its platform organization.
For SPÖ security spokesman Einwallner, the question arises as to why, if true, Nehammer only got information from the media. “In addition, where Nehammer reassigned central positions from the head of BVT to the general director of public safety,” Einwallner noted that this would be “a sign of a poor base of trust in Nehammer.” “Then the sustainability of the minister should be questioned,” said the deputy. But if the information flow worked and Nehammer informed the public incorrectly or too late, that is just as difficult. “Many things are going wrong and at the cost of the security of the Austrian population. The key is: How can the highest possible protection be guaranteed for the people in the country? ”
Full clarification is needed in several stages. The first stage is the urgent request to Nehammer, then the National Security Council will be convened, since all members of the government who can provide information on the matter meet there – and also the Federal Chancellor. “There is also a responsibility of the head of government if the security of the state does not work on such a massive scale,” Einwallner said. In addition, the subcommittee of the interior committee will meet, said the SPÖ security spokesman. “You need an independent investigation with strong participation from parliament, including the inquiry commission,” Einwallner demands. Because if the Minister of the Interior occupies the investigative commission, it is a “Nehammer commission” and “far from being independent.” This also applies to the BVT reforms. (Final) bj / ls
Queries and contact:
SPÖ Parliamentary Club
01 / 40110-3570
club@spoe.at
https://klub.spoe.at
