Former Austrian Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache was found guilty of corruption by a Vienna court for attempting to modify regulations in favor of a private hospital in exchange for donations to his political party.

The ex-leader of Austria's far-right Freedom Party received a 15-month suspended prison term for collecting two bribes totaling 12,000 euros ($14,100) on Friday, according to ORF.

Walter Grubmueller, the owner of a private clinic in Vienna, was sentenced to a year in prison with a 12-month suspension for bribery.

Strache and Grubmueller, who served as vice-chancellor from 2017 to 2019, have pleaded not guilty to the accusations. They have the right to appeal the decision.

Strache was a key figure in the demise of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's conservative Austrian People's Party and the Freedom Party's prior government in Austria.

A video surfaced in May 2019 showing Strache, the Freedom Party's leader at the time, allegedly promising favors to a fictitious Russian investor. Kurz terminated the national government as a result of the recording. Strache was expelled from the Freedom Party after denying any misconduct.

Kurz was re-elected in a new coalition with the environmentalist Greens last year.