FPÖ wants a committee of inquiry on the Pilnacek case

The FPÖ planned to address the Pilnacek case together with the Corona measures in a joint parliamentary committee. After a veto from the coalition, the Constitutional Court decided that this connection was inadmissible, as unrelated matters should not be mixed.

Application for Parliamentary Committee on Pilnacek Case Announced for September

FPÖ General Secretary Hafenecker announced that the Pilnacek committee application would be submitted at the next plenary session of the National Council on September 23, followed by compact investigations. Once these are completed, another committee will be requested to address the Corona period across ministries. For the General Secretary, the Constitutional Court has ultimately done the FPÖ a favor. Originally, they only wanted to investigate the Ministry of the Interior's policy during the pandemic, but now all departments are to be examined. According to Hafenecker, the focus will be on the Chancellery, the Ministry of Health, and what he considers the disastrous economic policy of that time.

However, the FPÖ currently prioritizes the Pilnacek case, as events are escalating, as the General Secretary put it. Hafenecker referred to recently published media reports about Pilnacek's smartwatch, which allegedly tried to connect with other devices on the night of his death. For Hafenecker, this suggests that the suspended section chief was not alone shortly before his death at a Danube arm.

FPÖ Misses Willingness to Clarify in Judiciary and Executive

The experienced parliamentary committee faction leader misses the willingness to clarify in the judiciary and executive. The Krems public prosecutor's office is examining whether it rightly closed its case: "That's like putting the fox in charge of the henhouse." In the executive, Hafenecker claimed that essential evidence had disappeared or was deliberately overlooked: "That doesn't look like normal police work." That's precisely why the parliament must not look away: "We are even obliged to fully clarify."

Hafenecker is also planning a reform of the procedural rules for parliamentary committees. Specifically, there should be a minority right to have the content of committees set up by the majority checked for admissibility. Hafenecker believes that a quarter of the Rules of Procedure Committee should be given the right to apply to the Constitutional Court. Additionally, the General Secretary once again advocated for live broadcasts of the hearings.

When the summoning of witnesses can begin is still open. After submitting the application, the Rules of Procedure Committee must re-examine the admissibility within four weeks. If this is confirmed, the request only needs to be called in the plenary of the National Council. Ideally, the files could be delivered in November and the first witnesses questioned in December. Who he wishes to summon as a witness, Hafenecker left open on Friday.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.