Sebastian Kurz, a former chancellor of Austria, was acquitted on Monday of charges related to lying during a parliamentary inquiry, thus clearing his name in a legal case that has adversely affected his reputation since his resignation in 2021.
A Vienna court overturned a previous ruling which determined that Kurz had misrepresented his involvement in the appointment of an ally to a control board during his tenure as chancellor. The latest ruling annulled an eight-month suspended sentence imposed by a lower court last year.
Judge Werner Röggla, who presided over the three-judge panel, stated, “The objective elements of false testimony were not met.”
The primary issue was not whether Kurz had interfered, but rather if he had accurately characterized the extent of his involvement. After reviewing video footage of the 2020 exchange, the judges concluded that Kurz’s responses, although somewhat incomplete, were truthful. They noted that he could have provided a more comprehensive answer had he been allotted additional time to testify.
Furthermore, the court found that Kurz's chief of staff had lied during the same inquiry and upheld a prior sentence against him.
This ruling serves as a vindication for Kurz, who has transitioned to the business sector since exiting politics in 2021. He has consistently portrayed himself as a victim in this legal battle.
“You can probably imagine that it is difficult for me to understand why I am being prosecuted for not saying enough in response to a question, when I was even interrupted and unable to finish speaking,” Kurz expressed to reporters in Vienna on Monday.
However, Monday’s ruling does not absolve Kurz of potential charges related to his role in orchestrating the publication of manipulated polls. A legal investigation into that matter, which contributed to his resignation in 2021, is still ongoing and could lead to further criminal charges.
Kurz, who became Austria’s youngest chancellor at age 31 in December 2017, has led two troubled governments. His first government, in coalition with the hard-right Freedom Party, collapsed following the emergence of a video showing the party leader apparently trading political favors with a woman he believed to be the niece of a Russian oligarch. A parliamentary inquiry into that incident initiated the investigation that culminated in Monday's ruling.
Speculation arose in 2023 regarding a potential political comeback for Kurz following the release of a favorable documentary. However, Kurz, now 38, has consistently denied such rumors. When the Austrian People's Party sought new leadership following a sudden resignation in January, Kurz did not compete for the position.