The verdict is an important victory for Kurz, whose possible return to Austrian politics is the subject of much speculation in the country.
After the ruling, Kurz suggested in a statement that he’d been unfairly targeted by his opponents.
“I have been confronted with accusations for years,” said Kurz. “There have been numerous court hearings. There was also a great deal of confrontation with these accusations. I think you’ve all seen how much this has been celebrated and that it has now all collapsed.”
Kurz was once deemed a political wunderkind and the future of the conservative movement in Europe. He became Austria’s leader at just 31, and rose to power by cultivating an image of youthful wholesomeness before his spectacular fall.
His conservatives now lead Austria’s three-party coalition government that excludes the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), which stormed to victory in a national election last September.
This story has been updated.
