After Cancellation: FPÖ Now Plans Its Own Inquiry Committees on Pilnacek and Corona

It is still supposed to be about alleged influence of the ÖVP on the authorities, said Secretary General Christian Hafenecker to the APA. However, the case surrounding the death of the head of the justice department Christian Pilnacek and the actions taken during the Corona measures will be treated separately. Hafenecker hopes for a start in the fall.

Originally, the FPÖ wanted to address the two complex issues in a single inquiry committee. This will not happen due to the VfGH decision. On Wednesday, the highest court sided with the government factions of ÖVP, SPÖ, and NEOS, who had dismissed the FPÖ's request as inadmissible. It is not possible to combine unrelated matters into a single subject of investigation, said the constitutional judges.

Inquiry committees to take place consecutively

Hafenecker emphasized once again that they never intended to investigate Pilnacek's death or the Corona measures themselves. Rather, it was supposed to be about the influence exerted by the ÖVP-led Ministry of the Interior on the authorities. The FPÖ Secretary General intends to stick to this assumption. "Now there will just be two blocks," he emphasized. This completely negates the argumentation of the government parties and the VfGH.

The Freedom Party will not make extensive changes to the request itself. The formulation of the two subjects of evidence can simply be adopted. However, the inquiry committees must take place consecutively. Which one - Pilnacek or Corona - should come first will be decided in the relevant committees, according to Hafenecker. It is also sufficient if the first request is submitted at the next regular National Council meeting at the end of September to be able to start in the fall.

Costs could double

Hafenecker is also aware that addressing the two subjects of evidence in two separate inquiry committees could now take twice as long and thus incur far more costs. However, this is the fault of the government factions and the VfGH. The Freedom Party Secretary General recalled parliamentary responses to inquiries, stating that inquiry committees would cost around 60,000 euros per day.

The procedure for requesting an inquiry committee remains the same: The next National Council meeting is scheduled for September 24, 2025. Then a new request can also be submitted. A corresponding minority resolution requires the signatures of a quarter of the deputies. After submission, the request is dealt with in the Rules of Procedure Committee of the National Council. If the request goes through without objection, the inquiry committee can be set up in the National Council.

(APA/Red)

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