The man behind the notorious “Ibiza video” that brought down Austria’s government in 2019 said he was seeking asylum in Germany to escape “political persecution” in his homeland, in a case that risks becoming a diplomatic bone of contention between Vienna and Berlin.
Julian H was arrested in Berlin last year on an international arrest warrant. Austrian authorities are seeking to extradite him to face charges of drug-dealing and attempted blackmail.
But H insisted he was innocent. “They’re standard criminal charges . . . but they arise out of a case that is highly politicised,” he said in an interview in Berlin’s Moabit prison. “This [case] stinks of political persecution.” He added that, if sent back to his homeland he had “little hope of a fair trial”.
Covertly filmed in an Ibiza villa in 2017, H’s video appeared to show Heinz-Christian Strache, then-leader of the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), soliciting political funding from Russia in exchange for government contracts. Its release caused a political earthquake in Austria, triggering Strache’s resignation as vice-chancellor.
Soon after, Austria’s chancellor Sebastian Kurz dissolved the coalition government between his mainstream conservative People’s Party (ÖVP) and the FPÖ.
For years, the identity of the mastermind behind the set-up was known only to a group of journalists and police investigators. That changed in December when H — under German law, his surname cannot be divulged — was arrested.
In his first interview with a non-German news outlet, H, a private detective, said he conceived the plot as a “mirror” held up to Austrian politics and society. “I wanted to show how easy it would be to involve a leading politician in a corrupt deal . . . I showed that even with a tiny budget you could compromise a politician who would soon become vice-chancellor.”
But he said he did not expect the video to have such an impact. “I only ever wanted to flag up Strache’s alleged corruption and . . . the dangers of rightwing populism, which was running rampant at the time,” he said. “I never intended to trigger a government crisis.”
In the video, Strache appeared to discuss possible deals with a woman introduced as the niece of a Russian oligarch. He is heard suggesting he would hand her lucrative state contracts if she purchased Austria’s popular tabloid, the Kronen Zeitung, and made it an FPÖ mouthpiece.
After the video’s release, Strache described the meeting as a “mistake”. But he said media accounts of the conversation were heavily edited and that he had insisted throughout he would do nothing illegal. He was the victim of a “calculated political hit-job” and an “attack by the intelligence agencies”, he said.
H dismissed claims that foreign spy agencies had been involved in the sting operation as “pretty amusing”. “I did everything myself, even setting up the cameras. That’s why it was all so unprofessional.”
He said the idea for the video came about after a former bodyguard of Strache approached a Viennese lawyer identified as M with evidence he had gathered about the politician. M. and H. hoped that by filming Strache covertly they could lend the ex-bodyguard’s claims more credibility.
H said he was also motivated by concerns about creeping Russian influence on Austrian politics. “Austria is an unbelievably soft target,” he said. “Politicians have an affinity for donors and donations. And they don’t check the donors very thoroughly.”
However, attempts by M to interest various Austrian businessmen and politicians in the video led nowhere. Meanwhile, as rumours about the footage circulated, H said he feared his role would be exposed.
His concerns grew after the FPÖ entered government in 2017 and took over the defence and interior ministries. “That’s when I started to panic,” he said.
He later passed the footage to two German news organisations who published details of the Ibiza encounter in May 2019.
In the aftermath of the reports, H, who had since moved to Germany, was accused by Austrian authorities of improper use of recording equipment, selling cocaine and attempting to blackmail Strache.
H has described these accusations as “trumped up”. His lawyer said the drug-dealing charge was based on testimony from a man with convictions for fraud who had previously slandered H. He said one of those who allegedly bought drugs from H denied having done so. On the last charge, the lawyer said, Strache himself denied ever being blackmailed over the video.
The Higher Court of Berlin decided that making the video was not a punishable offence, but remanded H in custody on the other charges.
A spokeswoman for the Berlin criminal court system said there was “no evidence” that H could be “persecuted or punished for his political views” if extradited to Austria and that there was “no doubt” he would have a fair trial there. However, she said the court had delayed a decision on extradition “in order to further examine the facts” of the case.
H acknowledged he faced an uphill task. “The problem is that if they grant me asylum, they’re virtually saying I’m the victim of political persecution in Austria, which is a serious thing to say about a fellow EU member,” he said. “It seems the judicial authorities in Berlin are unwilling to risk a diplomatic incident.”
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will not be taking advice from Pierre Poilievre after the Conservative leader challenged him to bring down government.
“I say directly to Pierre Poilievre: I’m not going to listen to you,” said Singh on Wednesday, accusing Poilievre of wanting to take away dental-care coverage from Canadians, among other things.
“I’m not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people’s lives, I want to build up a brighter future.”
Earlier in the day, Poilievre challenged Singh to commit to voting non-confidence in the government, saying his party will force a vote in the House of Commons “at the earliest possibly opportunity.”
“I’m asking Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to commit unequivocally before Monday’s byelections: will they vote non-confidence to bring down the costly coalition and trigger a carbon tax election, or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?” Poilievre said.
“It’s put up or shut up time for the NDP.”
While Singh rejected the idea he would ever listen to Poilievre, he did not say how the NDP would vote on a non-confidence motion.
“I’ve said on any vote, we’re going to look at the vote and we’ll make our decision. I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said.
Singh’s top adviser said on Tuesday the NDP leader is not particularly eager to trigger an election, even as the Conservatives challenge him to do just that.
Anne McGrath, Singh’s principal secretary, says there will be more volatility in Parliament and the odds of an early election have risen.
“I don’t think he is anxious to launch one, or chomping at the bit to have one, but it can happen,” she said in an interview.
New Democrat MPs are in a second day of meetings in Montreal as they nail down a plan for how to navigate the minority Parliament this fall.
The caucus retreat comes one week after Singh announced the party has left the supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals.
It’s also taking place in the very city where New Democrats are hoping to pick up a seat on Monday, when voters go to the polls in Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. A second byelection is being held that day in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP is hoping to hold onto a seat the Conservatives are also vying for.
While New Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the Liberals, they don’t appear ready to trigger a general election.
Singh signalled on Tuesday that he will have more to say Wednesday about the party’s strategy for the upcoming sitting.
He is hoping to convince Canadians that his party can defeat the federal Conservatives, who have been riding high in the polls over the last year.
Singh has attacked Poilievre as someone who would bring back Harper-style cuts to programs that Canadians rely on, including the national dental-care program that was part of the supply-and-confidence agreement.
The Canadian Press has asked Poilievre’s office whether the Conservative leader intends to keep the program in place, if he forms government after the next election.
With the return of Parliament just days away, the NDP is also keeping in mind how other parties will look to capitalize on the new makeup of the House of Commons.
The Bloc Québécois has already indicated that it’s written up a list of demands for the Liberals in exchange for support on votes.
The next federal election must take place by October 2025 at the latest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is defending her decision to turn off comments on her social media accounts — with an announcement on social media.
She posted screenshots to X this morning of vulgar names she’s been called on the platform, and says comments on her posts for months have been dominated by insults, to the point that she decided to block them.
Montreal’s Opposition leader and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have criticized Plante for limiting freedom of expression by restricting comments on her X and Instagram accounts.
They say elected officials who use social media should be willing to hear from constituents on those platforms.
However, Plante says some people may believe there is a fundamental right to call someone offensive names and to normalize violence online, but she disagrees.
Her statement on X is closed to comments.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
