Strache was secretly videotaped in 2017 discussing a deal with a supposed Russian to exchange government contracts for political backing.
Austrian Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache — leader of the right-wing, anti-immigration Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs (FPÖ or Freedom Party) — announced Saturday that he was stepping down following the release of a controversial video.
German-language media outlet Der Spiegel published video of Strache Friday night. In the footage, filmed secretly in Ibiza, Spain, in July 2017, months before he was named to the Vice-Chancellor position, Strache and others reportedly discussed how a Russian investor could obtain Austrian government contracts.
Among the suggestions offered in the video was the idea of this supposed Russian investor acquiring control of popular Austria paper Kronen Zeitung and using its reach to push FPÖ’s agenda to the public. In exchange, the investor could receive favorable treatment.
Strache denied any wrongdoing Saturday, but said he was stepping down from both the Vice-Chancellorship and as FPÖ leader because revealed acts he now deemed “stupid, irresponsible and a mistake,” according to the Washington Post.
