(ANSA-AFP) - VIENNA, OCT 6 - Austrian prosecutors raided the
offices of the ruling party on Wednesday over claims that
government money was used in a corrupt deal to ensure positive
coverage in a tabloid newspaper. People's Party (OeVP) deputy
general secretary Gabriela Schwarz said the raids were "for
show" and that "accusations were constructed over events that
date back as far as five years", though she gave no further
detail of the claims. Austrian media outlets reported that raids
also took place in the chancellery and targeted several
employees of OeVP Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. According to
Austria's Oe1 public broadcaster, the warrant for Wednesday's
raids alleges that finance ministry funds were used to pay for
opinion polls that were favourable to Kurz. The polls were then
published in the Oesterreich tabloid, allegedly in return for
lucrative government adverts. Kurz is suspected of being an
accessory to the offences, according to the leaked warrant.
(ANSA-AFP).
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