The former Chancellor of Austria, Sebastian Kurz, won his appeal against a conviction for having made false testimonies to a parliamentary committee.
The court’s decision cancels the judgment of last year and eight months suspended prison for the former political star.
Once a prodigy of the European Conservatives, the 38 -year -old man resigned from his post as a chancellor in 2021 and left politics in the middle of a series of allegations.
The acquittal on Monday removes a key obstacle to a potential political return, but it still faces an investigation into distinct allegations of corruption.
Last year, Kurz was found guilty of perjury for having made false testimonies to a parliamentary committee.
The case against him focused on allegations according to which he had been involved in the selection of managers of a newly created State portfolio company when he was Chancellor, instead of being simply kept informed.
Kurz told a parliamentary investigation in 2020 that he was “involved in the direction of information”. But the first trial judge considered that the false statement and ruled that Kurz had played a more active role.
However, in his call, Kurz argued that the judge who condemned him was biased.
The appeal bench of three judges ruled on Monday in his favor, reading in their judgment that Kurz “was acquitted because the objective offense to give false evidence has not been filled”.
Addressing journalists outside the court on Monday, Kurz said that the years of accusations against him had “now collapsed”.
“There have been many judicial audiences-a huge confrontation with these accusations. You have all seen how celebrated it was and that everything collapsed,” he said.
He also denied reprehensible acts on allegations of corruption for which he is the subject of an investigation.
Prosecutors should not decide to invoice it the allegations that he used public money to pay for favorable media coverage and finance surveys that have exaggerated.
Kurz has not yet expressed his intention to return to politics.
Since his departure in 2021, he has been involved in several commercial companies, including the Dream Cybersecurity Company, which he co -founded in 2023 with partners such as the former boss of the company NSO Israeli who developed the Controversial PEGASUS Spyware software product.
Kurz had previously led the Austrian Conservative Popular Party, leading the party to victories in 2017 and 2019 on a hard -on -line immigration position.
The People’s Party is still in charge in Austria after having succeeded in forming a three-dimensional coalition with the Social Democrats and a Liberal Party after the elections last September.
However, this vote was won by the far -right party Freedom, which seized the voters’ frustrations on the economy and migration. Despite the first time in the legislative elections for the first time, they failed to train the government.
