Was it a "deal"?

Tough (political) battles over the sale of land

(Bild: Huber Patrick)

The sale of a plot of land is criticized by party spokespersons in a tough verbal battle. Accusation: The municipality of Gänserndorf had "sold off" a property in Klosterneuburg in 2019 for 230,000 euros to Stefan Schmuckenschlager, who was the head of the town at the time.

At least this is how the FPÖ reacted after the procedure for the change of ownership of a prime piece of land became known. The sale of a plot of land is also sharply criticized by other party spokespersons using harsh verbal language.

The "back story"
In 2019, the municipality of Gänserndorf "sold off" a property in Klosterneuburg for 230,000 euros to Stefan Schmuckenschlager, who was head of the town at the time, as the FPÖ put it. He has now put the property up for sale for 960,000 euros. "It's nothing short of a miracle how the value could quadruple so quickly," comments the SPÖ and concludes: "One ÖVP man has done another a big favor." This refers to René Lobner, who once chaired the municipal council meeting during the sale. "The decision was unanimous. The only thing Schmuckenschlager and I have in common is that we were both born in 1972," Lobner rejects any close relationship - according to the NÖN, Schmuckenschlager reacts in the same way and speaks of a "private investment" and a "political campaign" that annoys him. The NEOS are now demanding that the authority to allocate land "must be transferred away from the influence of the mayors to independent commissions".