Before the committee began, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) said in a specially called press conference that there were serious allegations. A “complete” explanation must be ensured. He criticized the FPÖ in connection with the affair. The committee was convened by the formally responsible Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) on the initiative of the Greens. The content discussed in the Security Council is subject to confidentiality – a fact that Karner also pointed out again.
Video: Interior Minister Karner said this before the meeting of the Security Council
Karner emphasized on Tuesday afternoon that there were serious allegations – espionage, the betrayal of Austrian state secrets to Russia and allegations such as abuse of office. The complete clarification he demands is also part of the necessary consultations.
More powers demanded
He also once again pointed out his demand for an expansion of the powers of the investigative authorities: A complete investigation would only be possible if the police “as an investigative authority on behalf of the public prosecutor’s office” were given the “corresponding new and up-to-date options”, which are also necessary in order to obtain clarification “successfully and completely” – “of course only after a court order”. This is about “so-called Internet telephony – telephony via messenger services that cannot be monitored,” says Karner. The Greens recently rejected such a request. All of these are points “that will be discussed in the Security Council,” said Karner. He expects “unity towards the Republic on this issue.”
Video: Interior Minister Karner answers questions about the Ott case
He directed harsh criticism – as he did later Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler – at the FPÖ. It is a “fact” “that there is someone who bore responsibility in this house, namely (ex-Interior Minister and now FPÖ boss, note) Herbert Kickl, during whose term of office there was an illegal house search in the BVT (now launched Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Combating terrorism, note). With this, the state security service was “shattered” and no longer had any international contacts for a while, Karner repeated.
It is also a “fact” that there was Russian propaganda in Europe, he referred to “30,000 so-called social bots from Russia” with which the German-speaking area was intended to be influenced. It is also a “fact” that there is a party in Austria, the FPÖ, that has a friendship agreement with Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s party “United Russia,” said Karner.
Mutual blame
Shortly before the start of the committee meeting, Kogler said that it was about the security of the republic’s facilities, its institutions and the population. He also pointed out that the house search at BVT took place under the then Interior Minister Kickl. If you look back at the governments and party influence under which everything was particularly favorable, you can see that the government participation in 2018/2019 more or less “had the barn door open and thus fueled it,” he said about the espionage allegations . “From this perspective, the attack on the former BVT, led by the then Interior Minister of the FPÖ, Herbert Kickl, looks completely different.”
It’s about protecting the republic, the institutions, the population and you have to tell the FPÖ that this is also home, democracy. And if that is attacked and allowed to happen, then you can also say that this Homeland will be betrayed. And I will no longer allow myself to be told that the FPÖ of all people wants to protect the homeland and at the same time they are not just somewhere behind but at the forefront of the greatest betrayal of Russia,” said Kogler. The Greens have long said that these events were a separate case for their own U-committee.
“The next platform to throw dirt”
FPÖ MP Christian Hafenecker rejected the allegations of the ÖVP and the Greens towards the FPÖ. He saw the convening of the National Security Council primarily as a vehicle for the other factions to “damage” the FPÖ. “The fact is that the FPÖ has been stable at number 1 in the survey for months, while at the same time the federal government is losing more and more importance.” Seen this way, you “don’t have to be a strategist” to realize what the “sense and purpose of today’s drama” is. But this will be a “boomerang” for the ÖVP, he said. Hafenecker also speculated that confidentiality could be lifted in the Security Council. If that happens, then it is “clear what the goal is: namely the next platform to throw dirt.”
In principle, the FPÖ mandater saw the responsibility for the scandals surrounding Jan Marsalek, Wirecard and the BVT at the People’s Party: “No matter how you twist it, every one of these file covers has ÖVP written on it.” The BVT was already “completely broken” before Kickl took over the Ministry of the Interior, said Hafenecker. “The ÖVP has headed the Interior Ministry for over 20 years. The ÖVP will not be able to hang all these unbelievable things on us, the Freedom Party and Herbert Kickl.” And: “You have to destroy the deep state of the ÖVP, that can only be done after new elections.”
“Reduced expectations” from the SPÖ
Expressed rather “reduced” expectations for the meeting SPÖ security spokesman Reinhold Einwallner: Because we have seen that the Security Council is “developing more and more into a stage – when you see how the ÖVP and FPÖ dirty each other with mud and shift political responsibility away.” He also recalled the ÖVP’s long years in the interior department: “Let’s not forget that the ÖVP has been responsible for 20 years.” Einwallner wants the DSN control commission to be called in “to take a close look at the incidents and what was going on in the BVT and DSN.” The commission was set up at the end of 2023 and is staffed by, among others, the lawyer Ingeborg Zerbes.
For the NEOS, “clarification is now essential” and it is important to “clearly draw a line” from Austria’s dependence on Russia. A new national security strategy also needs to be implemented, MP said Douglas Holes before the meeting. “We cannot accept that Russia is still included as a strategic partner in the national security strategy.” The aim of NEOS is to restore security in Austria to the “best possible” level, said MP Stephanie Krisper.
“Let’s be happy that something has been uncovered”
Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen also commented on the affair for the first time on Tuesday. At a press conference with his Swiss counterpart Viola Amherd, he said he was reading the reports about the espionage affair “with interest.” “Let’s be happy that something has been uncovered,” he said. The case shows that “powers outside the European Union” are trying to exert influence not only through espionage, but also by creating sentiment.
Video: Van der Bellen spoke out for the first time in the Ott case
“That can make you nervous,” said Van der Bellen, who also emphasized that clarifying the allegations was “a matter for the court.” When asked about Ott’s contacts with his own long-time companion Peter Pilz, the Federal President said that he had not yet had any contact with Pilz in this context. “I wished him a happy birthday in January. That was it,” said the former Green federal spokesman.
The National Security Council is an advisory body to the federal government in matters of foreign, security and defense policy. It consists of the Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, Foreign Minister, Interior Minister, Defense and Justice Minister as well as representatives of the parties represented in the Main Committee of the National Council. He is also supported in an advisory capacity by representatives of the President’s Office and the State Governors’ Conference, the Secretary General of the Foreign Office, the Chief of General Staff, the Director General of Public Security and other officials.
20,000 euros from Marsalek
Meanwhile, further details about the Ott case became known on Tuesday. In 2022, Egisto Ott is said to have used his ex-son-in-law’s apartment in Vienna-Floridsdorf to hand over to representatives of the Russian secret service the illegally acquired work cell phones of top Interior Ministry officials and a SINA laptop with secret, highly sensitive intelligence data from an EU state used it without the ex-son-in-law knowing about it.
Ott is said to have had a key to the man’s apartment and met people there who the former Wirecard board member and Jan Marsalek, who presumably worked for the Russian domestic secret service FSB, had sent to Vienna while the ex-son-in-law was at work. Ott is said to have accepted money for his services to Russia from Marsalek’s emissaries in the same apartment in August and November 2022 – the second time 20,000 euros – after making sure that there was no one else there.
Work cell phones fell into the water during a boat trip
A former official at the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Combating Terrorism (BVT) received the work cell phones of the former Interior Ministry cabinet chief Michael Kloibmüller and two other top officials in July 2017 for data recovery. They fell into the water during an Interior Ministry boat trip. The IT technician then handed it over to Ott for reasons that the Vienna public prosecutor’s office is investigating. An investigation is also pending against the IT technician. As the spokeswoman for the Vienna prosecution, Nina Bussek, confirmed on Tuesday upon request, the ex-BVT official is being investigated for embezzlement.
The “Kurier” reported that a now retired official from the former State Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Combating Terrorism (LVT) in Vienna had been suspended for nine months – until the end of May 2023. Criminal proceedings against him have been dropped, but disciplinary proceedings are said to still be pending.
This article was updated at 8 p.m.
