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Fresh out of the hair salon and otherwise visibly tidier than in his hasty press release the night before, Gernot Blümel (VP) made the second attempt yesterday to clarify. In an affidavit, the Finance Minister stated that neither the Federal Vice President nor the Vienna State Party had accepted donations or sponsorship services from Novomatic since 2017. “Anyone who says otherwise will be sued by me,” Blümel said.
Chancellor Sebastian Kurz’s close confidant had to hand over data from his cell phone and laptop to the Economic and Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (WKStA) on Thursday during a home search. His suspicion of bribery dates back to a text message on July 10, 2017, which was found on the mobile phone of then-Novomatic board member Harald Neumann. In it, Neumann asked Blümel to set up an appointment with Kurz, who was foreign minister at the time. He gives two reasons: “1. Donation to the ÖVP and 2. because we have a problem in Italy.”
The latter concerned a tax claim of 20 million euros, which Novomatic finally had to face.
- Video: Blümel once again rejects the accusations
“Help whenever possible”
Something like this happens “thousands of times a year”, and politicians try to “help Austrian companies where they can” with problems abroad. He asked Thomas Schmid, then general secretary of the finance department and now head of Öbag, “to investigate,” Blümel said. Although Kurz was currently in the process of raising money for the election campaign as the top vice presidential candidate, he, Blümel, Neumann had “made it clear that there was no donation for us.” Under the statute, the ÖVP does not receive money from gun, tobacco and gambling companies.
Blümel could not explain why Neumann contacted him of all people, who at the time was not the main Vienna city councilor (“Maybe because he had my cell phone number”).
- Video: In the case of Nocomatic, opposition parties continue to demand the resignation of ÖVP Finance Minister Gernot Blümel.
One suspicion, which the WKStA investigates after the statements of Heinz-Christian Strache in the Ibiza video at the latest, refers to circumvention constructions in the case of illegal party financing. Therefore, the president of the green club, Sigrid Maurer, had left open whether the Finance Minister would continue to be trusted. Because this “did not meet our expectations of a complete clarification in relation to the associations affiliated to the party.”
What Blümel tried to catch up yesterday. I could “definitely exclude donations to intermediary associations” for my area. The four institutions “Heimatverein ProPatria”, “Association for the Promotion of Civil Policy”, “Modern Society” and the “Association of Festivals of the City of Vienna” were explicitly mentioned in their statement.
- Video: It is not unusual for companies to turn to politicians to solve problems, and it is not punishable by law either. But now the prosecutor is investigating whether the corruption threshold has been exceeded in the Novomatic case.
Open questions
The three opposition parties SPÖ, FPÖ and Neos do not want to be satisfied with Blumel’s statement. They requested an extraordinary session of the National Council to confront him “in view of the serious complaints” and “a series of unanswered questions.” The meeting was scheduled for Tuesday.
Blümel described the fact that he is the defendant and, as finance minister, the biggest supervisor of gambling in Austria, as “not an easy situation”. However, Blümel ruled out a resignation or suspension of the ministerial position.
Short is not short; “Something better” than Pierer
On July 10, former Novomatic board member Harald Neumann sent Gernot Blümel a text message requesting an appointment with then-Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz (VP). In the course of the investigation, the WKStA found a calendar entry from Novomatic owner Johann Graf where “Brief” is mentioned for July 25, 2017. Through his lawyer, Graf reported on Friday that this was not He was referring to the vice president, but to former Novomatic supervisory board member Martina Kurz, with whom the chancellor was not related, it was said from her office.
“To date”, Blümel has not been able to clarify whether the assistance Neumann requested for Novomatic Italia SpA came from the Foreign Office or the finance department.
The WKStA is also examining a connection to the VP 2017 reorganization by Kurz. In a chat with Neumann, the Novomatic spokesperson at the time, wrote that Vice President of Donors Stefan Pierer wanted to “double” the total for all small donors. “We have something better to do :)” Neumann supposedly replied.
I ask
“With the isolation and constant repetition of permanent sentences and the drowning of questions, the accusations against the still minister of Finance cannot be eliminated.”
Christian Deutsch, Secretary of the SP
“Seriously, did the Blümel press conference just slap you in the face? dice. He was unable to refute the allegations. “
Norbert Hofer, President of FP
“It is necessary to clarify possible donations to associations close to VP. Only then can Blümel’s capacity to act be evaluated. The calls to resign are premature.”
Sigrid Maurer, head of the green club
“A finance minister who is not exempt from reproach must resign at least temporarily. And the ÖVP has to disclose all donations to nearby associations. “
Nick Donig, General Secretary of Neos
Article of
Lucian Mayringer
Startup Policy Editor
