"Swamp of scandals"

Advertising affair: ÖVP expects Kickl to resign

ÖVP General Secretary Christian Stocker sees the FPÖ sinking into a "swamp of scandals".

(Bild: APA/EVA MANHART)

For the ÖVP, the FPÖ is sinking "deeper and deeper into a swamp of scandals and corruption" following the investigations into the advertising scandal that have come to light. If the FPÖ takes its own previous demands seriously, party leader Herbert Kickl, the third National Council President Norbert Hofer and the Styrian top candidate Mario Kunasek would have to resign, emphasized ÖVP General Secretary Christian Stocker on Tuesday.

In Stocker's view, the FPÖ's list of misconduct is long. The sum of scandals now shows "the true face of Herbert Kickl and his party".

Espionage allegations, advertising agency, Graz financial scandal 
He mentioned suspected FPÖ connections to former secret service employee Egisto Ott, accused of espionage, opaque processes surrounding the advertising agency Ideenschmiede with Kickl as a possible beneficiary and the Graz financial scandal, which was recently expanded to include investigations into child abuse images. With the advertising scandal, however, "a new quality has now been added".

The sum of scandals now shows the true face of Herbert Kickl and his party.

ÖVP-Generalsekretär Christian Stocker

Bild: APA/EVA MANHART

Investigations against Kickl, Hofer, Fellner and Co.
Since mid-April, the Economic and Corruption Prosecutor's Office (WKStA) has been investigating former Interior Minister Kickl, former Transport Minister Hofer, former Defense Minister Kunasek, former FPÖ leader and Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache and former Blue Minister Beate Hartinger-Klein as well as the former Managing Director of Mediengruppe Österreich, Wolfgang Fellner, on suspicion of advertising corruption.

Since mid-April, the Economic and Corruption Prosecutor's Office (WKStA) has also been investigating former Interior Minister Herbert Kickl and former Transport Minister Norbert Hofer on suspicion of advertising corruption.

(Bild: APA/ROLAND SCHLAGER)

Strache and Fellner are being investigated on suspicion of bribery and corruption and the former blue ministers on suspicion of embezzlement. "This suspicion of advertising corruption is a serious one", said the ÖVP General Secretary. 

ÖVP General Secretary Christian Stocker sees the FPÖ sinking into a "swamp of scandals".

(Bild: APA/EVA MANHART)

"Will that change anything?": Stocker plays down investigations against ÖVP
The fact that top representatives of the ÖVP have also been under investigation by the WKStA for three years in the so-called advertisement and survey scandal was no reason for Stocker to hold back on criticizing the FPÖ advertisement scandal. "Will that change anything?" asked Stocker.

Will Kickl's political immunity be lifted?
Stocker called the fact that the FPÖ had spoken of a "deep state" in its reaction to the WKStA investigations and hinted at political infiltration of the senior public prosecutor's office "classic influencing of the judiciary". In the past, Kickl had always called for resignations in investigations against other political parties. If the FPÖ did not apply double standards and also applied the required standards to itself, Kickl, Hofer and Kunasek would now have to resign. He also expects Kickl himself to apply for his parliamentary immunity to be waived in order to enable a swift criminal investigation.

ÖVP also expects investigations against SPÖ
He also assumes that the WKStA will not only look at advertising corruption involving proponents of the Freedom Party, but also at the SPÖ and the City of Vienna in particular, Stocker demanded. After all, former SPÖ Chancellor Christian Kern had once spoken of an original sin of the SPÖ in this context. "It is unacceptable that the perpetrators of advertising corruption are spared and the focus is always on the others."