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Finance Minister Gernot Blümel (ÖVP) defended himself again in an interview with ZIB2 on Friday night after the accusations against him. There were no donations from Novomatic, he said after making an affidavit on Friday. The opposition demands a complete clarification.
AUSTRIA. Once again the interview was about a text message from former Novomatic managing director Harald Neumann to Blümel. Blümel repeated on ZIB2 that he had not made an appointment between Neumann and Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP). There were also no donations: “We have not received any donations from Novomatic in the ÖVP Vienna or in the federal party since Sebastian Kurz has been president of the federal party or I have been president of the regional party,” Blümel said.
When asked if the SMS was about donations for parties, Blümel said that he could not answer this question, but that the former head of Novomatic had to be asked what he meant by the SMS. Blümel only relayed a call from the Secretary General of the Ministry of Finance, and it is good that the authorities support Austrian companies when they have problems abroad. Blümel also did not say what he replied to Neumann at the time: “That is not evident in the documents,” Blümel said.
Regarding the accusation of the Economic and Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (WKStA), according to which Blümel should have arranged a meeting between Kurz and the head of Novomatic, Johann Graf, Blümel spoke of a “confusion of names”, because the entry of Graf on the calendar was about Martina Kurz, a member of the supervisory board. However, according to the WKStA, this is the only reference to “Kurz” on the calendar; does not identify any reference to Martina Kurz.
Blümel said he “knows” that the case will be clarified. “You can believe me that I have the greatest interest in seeing this happen quickly and extensively,” said Blümel. There is no incompatibility with his work as finance minister, who is also responsible for gambling, and the government program stipulates that this should be entrusted to an authority that is not subject to instructions.
Criticism after affidavit
Blümel had submitted an affidavit emphasizing that Novomatic had not made any donations to the Vienna ÖVP or ÖVP-related associations during his time. “I want and must counter defamation,” said Blümel. “Anyone who says otherwise will be sued by me.” Regarding the circumvention structures for the Vienna ÖVP, he said: “I can definitely rule that out for my area.”
The criticisms came from the FPÖ, among others: the leader of the federal FPÖ party Norbert Hofer, who demands specific answers: “What does it look like apart from the federal capital and what does that say for the time before Blümel and Kurz? The ÖVP is a comprehensive structure with the federal organization, the state organizations, all of which are divided into federations, district organizations, and in some cases very large city groups, a myriad of party-affiliated associations and personal committees that they support the candidates. at all possible levels and with all possible means. If you are already making an affidavit, then it must come from the party president and it must affect the entire ÖVP universe. It should also include not only donations, but also sponsorships. “
And Hofer continues: “We don’t know, for example, if the Novomatic subsidiaries have paid anything, and what about the political actions of other people in the ÖVP? Parts of the list of donations directly to the federal organization ÖVP are publicly known. If you look at the names and the companies, you can hardly imagine that certain donors would never have benefited from the political decisions. What should that be?
To maintain political hygiene, it is also essential to look back to the times before the Turks came to power within the ÖVP. The Novomatic was already a fixed star within the ÖVP world in previous years. This is demonstrated by the sponsorship of the Alois Mock Institute, the Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe, the Julius Raab Foundation or the Europa-Forum Wachau. Norbert Hofer: “Opportunities to please the ÖVP have apparently been exploited generously in recent years.”
“Powerless act of escape from responsibility”
For Christian Deutsch, Federal Director General of SPÖ, the statement of the still Finance Minister Blümel after his appearance is another “impotent act of flight of responsibility”. “The ÖVP’s turquoise permanent sentences are well known to all of us. And even a worthless affidavit doesn’t answer the core question: Was the ÖVP for sale? “, So Deutsch.
The Youth Party is particularly eye-catching, a statutory association whose federal president, Sebastian Kurz, was from 2009 to 2017. In response to numerous rumors currently circulating in political circles, German specifically asks Chancellor Kurz and Blümel: “Does the Youth Party solicited donations or raised funds? Were there counter offers? Y: Did the JVP serve as a turquoise war chest for the seizure of party power and the election campaign? “These connections now have to be” ruthlessly clarified “in the course of the recent search for the home of finance minister and brief close associate Blümel.
Raid against Finance Minister Blümel
Blümel is said to be listed as a suspect in Causa Casinos
