Explosive figures

FPÖ financial scandal continues to escalate

Alexis Pascuttini (center) with the lawyers Matthias Cernusca and Andreas Kleinbichler (right)(Bild: Monika König-Krisper)

The financial scandal surrounding the FPÖ Graz is still on everyone's lips. Once again on Friday, former FPÖ club chairman Alexis Pascuttini, now head of the (Corruption) Free Municipal Council KFG in Graz, addressed what he sees as the current state of affairs.

The Blue Party is said to have embezzled up to 1.8 million euros at city and state level in Styria. Among other things, the money is said to have flowed into the private house construction of state party chairman Mario Kunasek, ex-vice mayor and ex-FPÖ Graz boss Mario Eustacchio is also said to have received something (around 400,000 euros), as is Armin Sippel, ex-FPÖ club leader in Graz. For lawyer Matthias Cernusca, it is obvious that "part of the cake was used to build Kunasek's house".

Pascuttini also criticizes the 207,000 euro fee from the 3rd President of the Provincial Parliament, Gerald Deutschmann. He is said to have collected the money for the renovation of the party headquarters. The Court of Auditors also found an illegal flow of donations of over 100,000 euros. "Where did the money go?" asks Pascuttini. According to lawyer Andreas Kleinbichler, the FPÖ replied to the Court of Audit that it had already repaid the money. However, nothing has been credited to the account, he says. When confronted by a lawyer of the FPÖ, Kleinbichler is said to have received the answer that the Court of Audit was wrong about this sum.

FPÖ provincial party secretary Stefan Hermann speaks of further attempts by Pascuttini to make a point. A civil engineering contractor is obliged to submit a fee. The sum would be significantly below the usual market amount. "We will take legal action against these outrageous attempts at defamation!"