Austria prosecutors raid offices of ruling party

Austria's ruling People's Party (OeVP) said it had been targeted by raids from prosecutors yesterday morning, with local media reporting that offices in the chancellery were among those searched.

Deputy OeVP general secretary Gaby Schwarz confirmed the prosecutors' actions but did not confirm who was being investigated, saying only that raids were "for show" and that "accusations were constructed over events that date back as far as five years".

According to Die Presse newspaper, raids also took place in the chancellery and targeted several employees of OeVP Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.

The newspaper reported that the raids related to possible corruption offences in the publication of adverts and opinion polls in the Oesterreich daily.

Kurz himself is suspected of being an accessory to the offences, it added.

Kurz began his second term as chancellor in January 2020 at the head of a coalition with the Green party.