Austrian finance minister says home was searched in anti-graft probe

Austrian Finance Minister Gernot Bluemel, a close party ally of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, said on Thursday his home was searched by anti-corruption prosecutors treating him as a suspect in relation to possible party donations. Prosecutors are investigating whether, under a previous coalition between Kurz's conservatives and the far-right Freedom Party (FPO), a deal was struck between government officials and gambling firm Novomatic to appoint a board member at Casinos Austria in exchange for granting Novomatic gambling licences.

Austrian Finance Minister Gernot Bluemel, a close party ally of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, said on Thursday his home was searched by anti-corruption prosecutors treating him as a suspect in relation to possible party donations.

Prosecutors are investigating whether, under a previous coalition between Kurz's conservatives and the far-right Freedom Party (FPO), a deal was struck between government officials and gambling firm Novomatic to appoint a board member at Casinos Austria in exchange for granting Novomatic gambling licences. Bluemel issued a statement that did not specify what exactly he was suspected of, but said he had been informed of the accusations against him. It added that his conservative People's Party had never accepted donations from gambling companies in general and Austrian slot-machine maker Novomatic in particular.

"We would never and never did accept donations from gambling firms, especially if in addition something were expected in exchange," Bluemel said. Novomatic also denied making donations to any party in a separate statement. During the coalition with the FPO, Bluemel held the powerful post of government coordinator as a minister in the chancellor's office, which involves negotiating policy and appointments with the other party in the coalition.

The investigation stems from the infamous Ibiza video sting that prompted the collapse of that coalition in 2019. In the footage, the then-head of the FPO, Heinz-Christian Strache, said "Novomatic pays everyone". Strache stepped down as Austrian vice chancellor over the video and the coalition soon ended. Strache, who after the video's publication said he had been repeating rumours that were not true, is among those under investigation. He denies wrongdoing. The anti-graft prosecutors' office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.