A video revealing the secret plans of leading Austrian right-wing populists is published in early summer 2019 and leads to the fall of the government in Vienna and the biggest political crisis of the post-war period
When Frederik Obermaier and Bastian Obermayer see the video, as the first journalists, the background is unclear – but the content explosive. The research begins. For months, the two journalists investigate and have to decide whether and how they can inform the public about the secret plans of the FPÖ's top politicians.
The video was made in summer 2017 when Heinz-Christian Strache was not yet Vice Chancellor of Austria. The FPÖ's top candidate and his party friend Johann Gudenus travel to Ibiza and fall into a trap in a luxurious villa. An allegedly rich Russian woman claims to be about to buy the Kronenzeitung, Austria’s most read tabloid. With her support the FPÖ could win the elections – But she wants to know: What does she get in return? In response Strache talks about the prospect of government contracts, reveals a system of veiled party donations and fantasises about how he would massively rebuild Austria’s press landscape.
