An Austrian court on Monday overturned former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz’s conviction for giving false testimony to a parliamentary inquiry.
“Sebastian Kurz… is acquitted,” a three-member panel of judges said.
Kurz was once a rising star among European conservatives and twice headed a governing coalition in Austria.
What were the allegations against Kurz?
Kurz was convicted in relation to statements he made to a parliamentary inquiry in 2020 on his role in appointing executives for the ÖBAG state holding company, including his ally Thomas Schmid.
In his comments, Kurz downplayed his role, saying that he was only “involved in the sense of informed.” But prosecutors said that Kurz played an active role in the appointments.
Kurz was found guilty of making false statements in February 2024 and was given an eight-month suspended sentence, a conviction he then appealed.
In his appeal, Kurz argued that he was interrupted during his testimony and that the judge who handed out his conviction was biased.
“My goal was definitely not to say anything false there,” he said.
Kurz is still under investigation for corruption in a separate case. Prosecutors suspect him of embezzling state funds, diverting them to polls distorted to boost his popularity.
Who is Sebastian Kurz?
Kurz resigned as chancellor in 2021 amid allegations of financial impropriety.
After his exit from politics, the Kurz founded the Dream cybersecurity company in 2023 with Shalev Hulio, the former head of Israel’s NSO Group, which developed the controversial Pegasus spyware.
He had headed the conservative People’s Party (ÖVP), governing in coalition with the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) from 2017-2019 and later with the environmentalist Greens from 2020-2021.
Kurz’s electoral campaigns were marked by a hard line on immigration similar to that of the FPÖ.
The ÖVP currently governs Austria under Chancellor Christian Stocker. It is in coalition with the center-left Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the centrist NEOS party.
Edited by: Wesley Dockery
