Ex-chancellor on trial as graft scandals rock Austria

VIENNA: Austria´s former chancellor Sebastian Kurz goes on trial this week for allegedly giving false testimony, the highest-profile figure implicated in wide-ranging corruption scandals that have rocked the EU member. 

The case marks the first time in more than 30 years that a former chancellor has stood trial. Once hailed as a “wunderkind” of Europe´s conservatives, Kurz stepped down as chancellor in 2021 following a string of graft accusations, including spending public money for favourable media coverage.

It marked the spectacular fall of the charismatic hard-liner, who became the world´s youngest democratically elected head of government in 2017 at the age of 31. Kurz, together with two others, will go on trial on Wednesday for providing false testimony to a parliamentary committee probing numerous graft allegations.

Kurz, 37, has repeatedly dismissed the accusation levelled against him, saying he is keen to prove his innocence in court.