Sebastian Kurz (left) and his former head of cabinet Bernhard Bonelli on January 31st during the trial at the Vienna Regional Court
Image: dpa
A verdict is imminent in the trial against former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. The defense hoped that the testimony of a witness would provide relief. But that didn’t really work.
IIn the foyer of the Vienna Regional Court for Criminal Matters, before which the former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz is accused of making false statements, there is a wall-filling panel depicting a dramatic scene. A witness points to the person in the dock with her arm outstretched, the judge looks indignant, and spectators in the gallery crane their necks in a sensationalist manner. What a contrast to the present, and not just because of the characters’ Austro-Hungarian fashion. In the currently most sensational trial at the “Landl”, as the Viennese affectionately call the court, things were not dramatic recently, but rather grotesque.
A witness was connected via video call from the Austrian consulate in Moscow. At first the connection was bumpy. Then the camera didn’t want to stay focused on the witness, but instead followed a technician like a puppy follows its master. Finally, the Russian court interpreter also had to change her seat so that she could speak into the hall microphone and into the video link at the same time. A businessman named Valery Afinogenov was supposed to provide information. His appearance was perhaps intended to be a liberation for Kurz. It was intended to make the prosecution’s key witness unreliable and cause the prosecution to collapse. But that didn’t happen, and it wasn’t just because of the strange experimental setup.
#Strange #questioning #witnesses #shortly #verdict