A former Austrian political ally, Thomas Schmid, has heavily implicated a powerful ÖVP politician, August Wöginger, in a job-for-favors scheme. Schmid detailed the allegations in court for the first time.
Lesedauer: 3 Minuten
The close working relationship between August Wöginger and Thomas Schmid appeared distant as the two men sat just yards apart at the Linz Regional Court earlier this week. Wöginger, the defendant, and Schmid, a former Finance Ministry General Secretary, were in court as part of a case alleging political favoritism in government appointments.
Schmid, acting as a key witness, testified that his sole intention was to fulfill a request from Wöginger, currently the ÖVP Club Chairman. According to Schmid, the qualifications of an ÖVP mayor seeking a position were “never an issue.” This testimony comes as part of the “Postenschacher” case, a term referring to the alleged trading of political favors for jobs.
The case centers around an incident in the fall of 2016, when the ÖVP mayor of a town in the Mühlviertel region approached Wöginger seeking support for his application to lead the Braunau Finance Office. Wöginger then passed the application to Schmid. Schmid allegedly pressured an ÖVP-affiliated personnel representative to give the mayor a better evaluation during the interview process. The Wirtschafts- und Korruptionsstaatsanwaltschaft (WKStA), Austria’s economic and corruption prosecutor’s office, alleges this constitutes a clear case of “job trading.”
Wöginger and two finance officials are accused of abuse of office or incitement to abuse of office. All three maintain their innocence. Schmid testified that he intervened “with emphasis” to help Wöginger, stating he wanted to do the ÖVP Club Chairman “a favor” and place a party member in the position.
Schmid described delegating the task to a member of the interview committee, according to reports. The WKStA is too basing its case on chats recovered from Schmid’s phone. The allegations suggest a politically motivated appointment, with Wöginger requesting Schmid’s assistance and Schmid subsequently influencing the selection process.
The case highlights the potential for political influence in Austrian government appointments and raises questions about the impartiality of the selection process. The trial is ongoing, and the outcome could have significant implications for the ÖVP and its leadership.
