The economic and corruption prosecutor (WKStA) is currently conducting house searches at the free newspaper “Heute”, as reported by the Ö1-Mittagsjournal. The investigations are related to blackened pages of statements by Thomas Schmid, then head of cabinet in the Ministry of Finance and a close confidante of Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP). It was about advertisements and changes to an amendment to the foundation law.
For example, “Heute” editor Eva Dichand intervened with Schmid, who had shown himself to be helpful in order to ensure Kurz good reporting. In one case, the Ministry of Finance took action against an amendment to the foundation law that was unpopular with founders with regard to publication requirements. According to Ö1, Schmid wrote to Eva Dichand that a negative opinion would be given on the Foundation Act.
Furthermore, Dichand complained from 2017 that “Austria” was given preference in advertisements by the Ministry of Finance compared to “Heute” and the “Kronen Zeitung”, which her husband Christoph Dichand publishes. Schmid then instructed the former head of the communications department in the finance department, Johannes Pasquali, to shift the volume of advertisements in favor of “Heute” and “Kronen Zeitung”, which also happened.
According to the media transparency database, after 2017 there was a sharp increase in the placements of the Ministry of Finance: from 800,000 to 1.3 to 1.6 million euros with the “Krone” and from 730,000 euros to 1 to 1.2 million euros with “ Today”. Sebastian Kurz was always informed about the events.
