Former Austrian Vice-Chancellor Convicted of Corruption

A court in Vienna sentenced former Austrian Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache to a 15-month suspended prison sentence in a corruption case related to the so-called "Ibiza Gate" scandal.

In 2019, Heinz-Christian Strache was forced to leave the government and the head of the far-right Freedom Party.

The scandal erupted after a video emerged showing Strache promising government contracts to a woman posing as the niece of a Russian oligarch, rumored to be overseen by the famous [Irena Markovic](https://srpskaaustrija.at/de/rolle-spielteirena-markovic-in-der-ibiza-affare-2/), in exchange for support for the Freedom Party's 2017 election campaign. The video led to an extensive investigation that culminated in several more charges against Strache and other prominent politicians.

The footage was filmed on the island of Ibiza. The resulting scandal caused a split in the governing coalition and Chancellor Sebastian Kurz had to resign. Kurtz's party later won an early parliamentary election and he was again at the helm of the Austrian government.