MOSCOW, May 18: Austrian Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache, who leads the right-wing Freedom Party of Austria (FPO), discussed the possibility of an acquisition of the Kronen Zeitung newspaper by a purported Russian national with her for receiving help from the outlet during the 2017 legislative elections, Spiegel Online reported, citing an alleged video recording of the meeting that it had obtained.
Meanwhile, the politicians, who took part in the meeting, told Suddeutsche Zeitung that a lot of alcohol had been drunk at that meeting, also adding that they had experienced translation problems during it.
According to Spiegel, Strache, who was not a vice-chancellor then, met with the purported Russian woman, Alyona Makarova, on Ibiza back in 2017. Another FPO politician, Johann Gudenus, was also among the people who participate in the meeting.
The outlet reported, that apart from the potential acquisition of Kronen Zeitung by Makarova, the sides discussed casino licenses, the sale of a luxury hotel and contracts for highway construction.
The meeting was reported to actually be what Strache himself called a “trap” because the villa, where the million-euro deals were discussed, was equipped with listening devices and hidden cameras.
Notably, Suddeutsche Zeitung said that commenting on the recording, Strache argued that neither he nor the FPO had received any benefits or promises from the people on the tape. Both Strache and Gudenus told the outlet about “a lot of alcohol consumed” during the meeting, saying they also felt “significant language barrier.”
Spiegel specified that Makarova claimed he had Latvian citizenship. According to the reports, she sought to invest over $250 million euros ($279 million) in Austria. The outlet added, citing the woman’s companion, that these funds “cannot be deposited at a bank” because they are “in fact, not entirely legal.”
The publication called the recording politically explosive, claiming that the FPO politicians were willing to improve their party’s election results, using Russian money.
Spiegel said that the source, who provided the recording, insisted on remaining anonymous.
(AGENCIES)
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