(ANSA-AFP) - VIENNA, OCT 12 - Austrian authorities on Tuesday
made a first arrest in a corruption probe that toppled
chancellor Sebastian Kurz, local media reported, holding a woman
for allegedly destroying evidence. One of a series of scandals
that dogged Kurz's two successive governments, the latest affair
revolves around partially faked opinion polls paid for with
taxpayer money and fed to a tabloid to paint Kurz in a
favourable light. The woman arrested Tuesday is a pollster who
authorities said last week was under investigation for
corruption. She is suspected of having deleted data from the
hard disk of her computer just before a raid, daily Der Standard
reported. Prosecutors declined comment to AFP, citing "ongoing
investigations". Last Wednesday prosecutors raided several
locations linked to the ruling People's Party (OeVP) over
allegations that between 2016 and 2018 money from the finance
ministry was used to pay for surveys. Prosecutors say that Kurz
and nine other individuals, including the pollster, as well as
three organisations, are under investigation over the affair.
(ANSA-AFP).
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