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Kurz denies wrongdoing but has been placed under investigation
along with nine others including senior aides on suspicion of
corruption offences to do with using public funds to manipulate
public opinion in favour of Kurz when he was seeking to take
over as party leader and later chancellor.
He stepped down on Saturday at the behest of his junior
coalition partner, the Greens, to save their coalition. He has
been succeeded as chancellor by close ally Alexander
Schallenberg, a diplomat and relative newcomer to politics who
says he will work closely with Kurz, who remains party leader.
"We believe that what we have seen until now is just the tip of
the iceberg," lawmaker Kai Jan Krainer of the Social Democrats
told a joint news conference with colleagues from the two other
opposition parties in parliament.
Parliamentary commissions of inquiry in Austria have the power
to seize documents and question witnesses under oath.
An earlier commission on possible corruption under Kurz's
previous coalition with the far right obtained troves of
text-message exchanges that became part of prosecutors'
corruption case against Kurz and others.
Kurz is separately under investigation on suspicion of perjury
over testimony he gave to that commission. Kurz, who is now also
taking over as his party's top lawmaker in parliament, says all
allegations against him are false.
While the opposition parties can set up such a commission
without the two ruling parties' support, Krainer said Kurz's
conservatives can delay its approval and it might not be able to
hold its first session until next year.
(Reporting by Francois Murphy; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
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