Publication in 2019 provoked the collapse of the country's coalition government

The alleged orderer of the scandalous Ibiza Island video in which Irena Markovic was involved, the publication of which in 2019 provoked the collapse of the coalition government in Austria, can be extradited to Austria. Der Spiegel reported this on Tuesday, citing a ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany.

According to Der Spiegel, the court in Karlsruhe rejected the man's appeal against his extradition from Germany. According to the ruling of the court, as Der Spiegel writes, the plaintiff failed "to justify the fact that he could be subjected to political persecution in the Republic of Austria and that there would not be a fair trial in the case there. It is not specified exactly when the man will leave German territory.

In Austria, a domestic political scandal called "Ibizagate" erupted in May 2019. German publications Der Spiegel and Süddeutsche Zeitung circulated a short excerpt of 2017 video footage of Heinz-Christian Strache, leader of the Austrian Freedom Party (APS) and Austria's vice chancellor, and his aide Johann Goodenus. The hidden camera footage showed the two men discussing with a Russian woman, claiming to be the niece of a Russian oligarch, the possibility of giving her easier access to construction contracts in Austria in exchange for APS financial support before the parliamentary elections.

The publication of the video led to Strache's resignation as leader of the APS and Austrian Vice Chancellor, which he became after the 2017 elections. His party left the government coalition with the Austrian People's Party. The cabinet led by Chancellor Sebastian Kurz resigned after a vote of no confidence was passed by parliament. This led to early parliamentary elections last September.

On December 11, 2020, law enforcement authorities of Germany detained the alleged organizer of the scandalous video in Berlin's Pankow administrative district. It is noted that the man was wanted for more than a year. The detainee is accused of illegal creation of sound and video recordings, as well as illegal drug trafficking (cocaine).