Just over two years after he lost his job following a shocking exposé, Austria’s then second-most powerful politician Heinz-Christian Strache is now standing trial for corruption in Vienna, former fellow Emily Schultheis (Germany, 2019-21) writes for Politico.

Before his misadventures on the Spanish island of Ibiza were made public, Strache was the head of the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) and Austrian vice chancellor. “This week’s trial is the latest act in Strache’s long and at times wild narrative arc in Austrian politics: From a rapid ascent within the FPÖ to an abrupt, scandal-driven fall, to an unsuccessful bid to once again hold public office, to the courtroom,” she writes.

 

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More from Emily: Eastern Germany is still a land apart in the lead up to federal elections, Emily reports for Foreign Policy. Read more here.

 

Photo credit: Bwag, Wikimedia Commons