Former Chancellor of Austria Sebastian Kurz Acquitted of Perjury Charges

Sebastian Kurz, Austria's former chancellor, has been acquitted of perjury charges that have plagued his reputation since his resignation in 2021.

 

Sebastian Kurz, who served as Austria's youngest chancellor starting in December 2017, was acquitted on Monday of accusations that he misrepresented his involvement in appointing a political ally to a government panel. This ruling from a Vienna court has overturned a previous guilty verdict that imposed an eight-month suspended sentence. The court, led by Judge Werner Röggla, found that the evidence did not support the allegations of false testimony.

The inquiry focused on a 2020 parliamentary session where Kurz’s responses were deemed incomplete rather than misleading; the judges determined that he could have provided a fuller account if uninterrupted. Despite this victory, Kurz's legal battles are far from over as he still faces potential charges related to his coordination of the release of falsified opinion polls, which contributed to his resignation in 2021.

Kurz, who has since left politics to pursue business ventures, expressed relief at the verdict, questioning the prosecution’s rationale for pursuing a case based on partial answers. He remains a controversial figure, having once led a government plagued by scandals, including one involving a Freedom Party leader implicated in a bribery scandal.

Shortly after his resignation, Kurz was the subject of a favorable documentary that sparked speculation about a possible return to politics. However, he has consistently denied any intentions to reenter the political arena, especially after the recent leadership changes in his former party, the Austrian People’s Party.