TIROLER TAGESZEITUNG, editorial: “The political judges”, by Peter Nindler

2023-09-08 20:01:14

Edition from Saturday, September 9, 2023

Innsbruck (OTS) – The economic and corruption prosecutor’s office has become part of everyday political life and with it political prejudice. Although a lot of things turn out not to be criminally relevant, there are still a lot of things wrong in the country.

Asking the question of how much public prosecutors domestic politics can tolerate could be seen as ambiguous. But what it is not: If there is suspicion of infidelity or abuse of office by politicians and officials, the judiciary must investigate. If there are complaints, it is important to get to the bottom of them. The judiciary, as the third branch of the state, is just doing its job. Politics (unfortunately) too. Mostly with preliminary convictions in order to make the affected political competitors guilty in advance in public. Most recently, Innsbruck Mayor Georg Willi (Greens) had to endure this.
The FPÖ has demanded that Willi resign because of the investigation into the controversial special contracts. Christine Oppitz-Plörer’s former mayor’s list “For Innsbruck” wanted him to suspend his office. However, Willi shouldn’t be surprised by this. After all, how often have his party friends waved their hand at the public prosecutor and suggested or loudly demanded that countless ÖVP or FPÖ politicians withdraw? Therefore, it is not the investigation process that is the problem, but rather how politics deals with it. If it is stopped, as in the case of Georg Willi, or if it ends with an acquittal, as was the case with the recent court case against ex-FPÖ leader Heinz-Christian Strache, those previously cast as scapegoats will happily present themselves as politically innocent lambs. As if they had been whitewashed by the judiciary, not just criminally but in general.
However, politically incorrect actions and criminal law are two different things. The city’s control office has clearly identified and criticized the high allowances, special treatment and contracts granted to individual employees under Willi. That is why legal acquittals are not political and calling for the public prosecutor cannot replace political responsibility. Which is still too rarely noticed in Austria.
Somehow this all fits into the current picture of domestic politics. Innsbruck is no different than Vienna. At the same time, many things become blurred. It is hardly possible to prevent the loss of trust in politics from ever increasing and from being blamed across the board for a corrupt republic. But it polarizes society and shakes the democratic foundations.
On the other hand, it must give us something to think about that the economic and corruption prosecutor’s office is now part of everyday life in our politics. Although a lot of things ultimately turn out to be irrelevant under criminal law, there are still a few things that are politically rotten in the country.