The Fake Russian Story

About thirty years ago, this Austrian guy rose out of the ranks in the political arena....to make some gains.   His name?  Heinz-Christian Strache.

What you can generally say is that he is a right-of-center type....maybe three steps 'extra' to the right.  His party?  FPO....the Freedom Party.

About fifteen years ago, the Freedom Party was undergoing some issues and dividing itself into factions.  Several district losses occurred, and something had to change for the party. It was at this point (2005) that he put his name out there and went to be 'boss' of the Party.

So for the October 2005 national election in Austria....he selected the topic that the party would run upon....too many foreigners in Austria.

The slogans came out: "Heimat im Herzen" (Homeland in the heart), "Wien darf nicht Istanbul werden" (Vienna mustn't become Istanbul, a slam against the Turks), and "Deutsch statt "nix verstehen" (Speak German, don't say I don't understand). 

Yes, it was an entire election strategy built on a common theme of hostility in Austria.

The rebound occurred in this election, and the FPO took 15-percent of the national vote.

For the city election in Vienna in 2010....the FPO used the same strategy and took around 26-percent of the vote.  Again, the slogans and strategy stayed on the immigration issue.

Strache was set, and probably would have been an influence on Austrian politics for another decade....but in the summer of 2017....he got invited to a non-political meeting....in Ibiza, Spain.

What can be generally said is that Strache and a second member of his party are there in this hotel-room....having a discussion over political strategies with this gal who claims that she's the niece of a Russian oligarch (rich billioniare).  Her uncle is said to be Igor Makarov.  So the Russian gal is hinting of giving some positive news items in exchange for contracts in the business world.

What contracts?  This is never spelled out in detail.

Proof that she was niece of Makarov?  That was never spelled out in detail.

Who got Strache and this 2nd guy to meet up in Ibiza?  That was never spelled out in detail.

The key thing....this meeting was video-taped and put into a 'secret-pocket' for about 22 months (coming out in public in the summer of 2019).

In a matter of days, the coalition government collapsed, Strache is 'fired', and a massive investigation is launched.  It was political chaos at the five-star level.

So just over a year has passed now.

One curious piece of the scandal was left on the table.....you never got to see the entire video of this meeting in Ibiza, with the fake Russian niece.  It was an odd piece of the story left for you to wonder about.

Who held the entire video?  Two German news units: Spiegel and Süddeutsche. 

The entire transcript is supposed to be released of the meeting now, and both news organizations are opposing this in a significant fashion.  You would think....if everything they said is factual.....there should be no issue.

Well....it's not that way.

Another news organization....out of Austria (OE24)....has somehow gotten a 30-odd page transcript of five minutes of the meeting....from a state prosecutor, and in this piece....Strache doesn't agree with any money details or 'selling' anything. 

At some point, Strache even says he wants to come out of these discussions 'clean' and not concerned with any stupid scandal.

Focus told a great deal of this story, over the transcript and the investigation problems. 

Where does this lead onto?  At some point, the government investigation team has to release their results, and either press charges or drop the matter.

Who shot the video and released this to the two German news organizations?  Unknown.  I'm only speculating but the prosecutors probably know this part of the story as well. 

The odds that this whole thing gets dropped?  No scandal? 

The next Austria national election?  Summer/fall of 2024, unless there is an early election. 

My humble guess is that this will drift around until mid-2021 and the prosecutors finally give up, with no charges or wrong-doing noted.  Then they lay out this problem of the fake Russian gal and who she was actually working in support of, and there's going to be this next round of political fall-out. Enough turmoil to create an entire new election?  Maybe. 

As for fake Russian gal?  Nowhere to be found.  Was she even Russian?  Zero evidence at this point.  She did speak German with a accent but you would assume it was all fake.  She bluffed her way to get the meeting arranged, and bluffed her way through a fake negotiation.  Then she just walks out the front-door to never be seen again.

Yeah, it's a great movie script if you think about it.