"Krone" has a call log

Pilnacek’s last call was to Kurz

Pilnacek spoke on the phone with former Chancellor Kurz before he drowned.(Bild: Imre Antal)

The mystery surrounding the last controversial phone call made by the late section chief Christian Pilnacek has now been solved. According to reliable sources, "Krone" has learned that the fallen top lawyer did indeed have a conversation with former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. It lasted exactly eleven seconds.

On October 19, 2023, at 8:55 p.m., Pilnacek received a phone call. What was discussed or was supposed to be discussed is still unknown. Although Kurz stated from the outset that he had been in contact with Pilnacek on the day of his death, further details were not known until now. The "Krone" now has this information.

Pilnacek spoke to former Chancellor Kurz on the phone before he drowned.(Bild: Imre Antal)

Sebastian Kurz was the last person Pilnacek called. The conversation lasted only eleven seconds because Pilnacek was reportedly difficult to understand. An hour and a half later, he was stopped by the police while driving under the influence. As is well known, his car was confiscated, and he was picked up by his girlfriend and her roommate from the police station in Tulln.

Kurz was in close contact with Pilnacek.(Bild: Klemens Groh)

The rest is history: Upon arriving in Wachau, the 60-year-old opened a bottle of Prosecco and drank about half of it. At 1:07 a.m., he left his cell phone in the apartment and went for another walk. At 7:30 a.m., his body was found by an excavator operator in a side arm of the Danube near Rossatz that is difficult to access.

Criticism of suicide claims from the outset
Sebastian Kurz is primarily quoted and criticized in the Pilnacek case for talking about suicide from the outset. Perhaps the statements can be attributed to the 11-second phone call. The parliamentary investigation should provide clarity.

Dispute over Kurz's summons
A dispute has recently arisen between the NEOS and the ÖVP over Kurz's summons as a witness before the investigative committee. The Pinks want to summon Kurz, but the Blacks are not so enthusiastic. According to the Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper, the chancellor's party is said to have "friendly but firmly reminded its small coalition partner in the three-party government of the joint government program" behind the scenes. The FPÖ could also summon Kurz on its own, but has not yet decided to do so. However, this is likely to happen soon.

The telephone list of the deceased section head is available to the "Krone."(Bild: APA/EXPA/JOHANN GRODER)

Messenger services are still being evaluated
The call list of the deceased section head also includes the name of his girlfriend, Karin Wurm, on the evening of his death. There were also several phone calls with her before that. Frequent phone calls with a journalist in the days and weeks before are striking. 

The analysis that has now been made public only refers to Pilnacek's smartwatch. Analyses of messenger services such as Signal are still to follow. According to reports, there are still thousands of pages of chats in which Pilnacek is said to have exchanged messages with many people from the political scene. These include former ministers, lawyers, and journalists. However, a large part of the messages are of a private nature, as has been reported.