Novomatic CEO Johann Graf (left) and former Austrian vice-chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache, who was forced to resign after an elaborate sting, dubbed “the Ibiza Affair.” (Image: Novomatic\/DPA\/Casino.org)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAustrian press reported the raids are believed to be related to the appointment of Peter Sidlo, a member of Strache\u2019s \u201cFreedom Party,\u201d to the board of Casinos Austria (CA).<\/p>\n
According to Der Standard<\/em>, the probe is focusing on whether Strache and others arranged political favors for Novomatic in return for the company’s backing of Sidlo\u2019s appointment as CFO of CA.<\/p>\nCA is an international casino operator, of which the Austrian government and Novomatic are major shareholders.<\/p>\n
Sidlo was under-qualified for his role at CA, having no previous casino management experience whatsoever.<\/p>\n
Addresses linked to both Strache and Sidlo were also targeted in the raids, Der Standard<\/em> said.<\/p>\nIbiza Affair<\/strong><\/h2>\nCampaigning on a populist anti-immigration ticket, Strache\u2019s Freedom Party captured 26 percent of the vote at the 2017 national elections, and formed a coalition government with the Conservative Party.<\/p>\n
The Freedom Party was founded in 1956 by Anton Reithaller, a former leader of the pre-War Austrian Nazi Party, who later became a member of the Waffen-SS and the Minister for Agriculture under the German Nazi regime.<\/p>\n
While it now calls itself a \u201cnational conservative\u201d party, video footage from the 1980s has surfaced of Strache participating in paramilitary training activities with known neo-Nazis. According to The<\/em> Times of Israel<\/em>, Strache also subscribes to the Great Replacement Theory, a white supremacist conspiracy theory.<\/p>\n\n
As Austria\u2019s vice-chancellor, Strache held a post that is roughly equivalent to a vice president or deputy prime minister. But he was forced to resign in May following the release of a video in which he is heard to offer state contracts for cash to a woman posing as a Russian oligarch\u2019s niece.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
During the elaborate sting, which was filmed in Ibiza, Strache and the woman discuss taking over one of Austria\u2019s biggest tabloid newspapers to provide the Freedom Party with positive coverage, as well as methods to conceal donations.<\/p>\n
Strache mentions Novomatic and several other companies, which he claims made donations to the Freedom Party using non-profit organizations to hide them from auditors, an allegation Novomatic has denied.<\/p>\n
Strache Denial<\/strong><\/h2>\nIt is still unclear who orchestrated the set-up, dubbed \u201cIbiza-gate,\u201d which effectively brought down the coalition government and precipitated new elections, scheduled for September.<\/p>\n
On his Facebook page this week, Strache confirmed that his house had been raided by police because of an \u201canonymous complaint and the charge of graft against me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe accusation against me lacks any basis and is therefore just another political attack on my person,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, in continuation of the production and publication of the Ibiza video, whose initiators and backers still hide in anonymity to this day, attempts continue to discredit and silence me,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Austrian police confirmed this week a raid on addresses linked to Johann Graf, the billionaire CEO of European gaming giant Novomatic, as well as the company\u2019s chairman, Harald Neumann. The moves came as part of a corruption investigation into the country\u2019s former far-right vice-chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache. Austrian press reported the raids are believed to be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":112399,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,61],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Novomatic Billionaire Embroiled in Casinos Austria Corruption Probe<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n