Austria's ex-vice chancellor on trial for corruption charges
The former Austrian vice chancellor and ex-leader of Austria’s right-wing Freedom party has gone on trial for corruption charges at a Vienna court
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The former Austrian vice chancellor and ex-leader of Austria’s right-wing Freedom Party went on trial Tuesday for corruption charges at a Vienna court.
Heinz-Christian Strache is accused of trying to change laws in order to favor a private hospital in exchange for donations.
Prosecutors allege that Strache accepted a 10,000-euro ($11,850) donation for his party in exchange for a legal amendment that would have benefitted the donor’s private hospital by bringing it under a public funding umbrella. The trial, which opened Tuesday, is expected to last for four days.
If convicted, Strache he could face a prison sentence ranging from 6 months to 5 years.
Strache’s legal team announced that neither Strache nor his lawyers will give any public statements during the trial, local media reported.
Strache was involved in the fall of the previous Austrian government, a coalition of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz s conservative Austrian People’s Party and the Freedom Party.
In May 2019, a video showing then-Freedom Party leader Strache offering favors to a purported Russian investor prompted Kurz to pull the plug on the national government. Strache, who denied any wrongdoing, was later kicked out of the Freedom Party.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.