Key witness in court
Wöginger trial: Schmid to be questioned today
The job-trading trial against ÖVP club chairman August Wöginger and two tax officials continued on Monday in Linz with the questioning of Thomas Schmid. However, the court still has further questions, so the trial will continue on Tuesday afternoon. krone.at reported from the courtroom; you can read about Monday's proceedings below.
According to the indictment, Schmid, then secretary general in the Ministry of Finance, is alleged to have accepted Wöginger's personnel request and at least attempted to influence a member of the hearing commission – the second defendant – regarding the appointment of the executive position at the Braunau tax office.
The questioning of the key witness began with a three-hour delay: the lawyers for the defendants – ÖVP club leader Wöginger and two tax officials – requested, among other things, that the proceedings be recorded in image and sound, "because every word that is said is really important," according to lawyer Michael Rohregger, who is defending Wöginger.
For Schmid, the intervention was an order
After four interruptions, Schmid took his seat in the courtroom. The former secretary general of the Ministry of Finance confirmed Wöginger's intervention to elevate an ÖVP mayor to the head of the authority. Schmid spoke at length in court, saying, among other things: "Yes, that was support for my party colleague August Wöginger, who approached me with a party political issue." Specifically, he ensured that his party colleague got the powerful position. For the former cabinet chief, the intervention was an order.
Schmid was questioned until the evening on Monday, then the hearing was adjourned. It is scheduled to continue on Tuesday afternoon. The verdict against Wöginger and his co-defendants is expected on April 21.
The krone.at live ticker from the trial in Linz is available to read:
Last Thursday, the unsuccessful candidate for the top job at the Braunau tax office testified.Christa Scharf described in court why she believed she had no chance even before the hearing.
During his questioning on Tuesday, the judge confronted ÖVP club chairmanAugust Wöginger with statements made by Thomas Schmid, who claimed that he had put pressure on his party colleague.
Chat history shows attempt to exert influence
A chat history shows that Schmid at least attempted to influence a member of the hearing commission who was also charged. The unsuccessful applicant was later compensated for discrimination in accordance with a decision by the Federal Administrative Court.
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