Golden guns

René Benko’s secret arsenal of weapons

Benko's luxury piece: a hunting rifle "with plenty of gold inlays"

(Bild: Krone KREATIV, AFP, zVg)

René Benko liked to go on the hunt. He has set his sights on potent international financiers and coaxed billions out of them in order to build his Signa house of cards and prevent it from collapsing. Irony of fate: since the beginning of his bankruptcy domino, Benko's investors - including a blood sheikh and several billionaires - have themselves been hunting down the failed speculator and his foundations, in which they suspect at least some of their lost real estate treasure.

However, Austria's most famous bankrupt has also indulged in classic hunts. At the company's expense, of course. For himself, his Signa and his top staff. In Austria, for example, in Burgenland, where people liked to shoot pheasants. Or in Tyrol, where they were always out stalking stags. Or in Romania, where Benko was on the lookout for bears as a member of an illustrious group of gentlemen.

During his appearance in the parliamentary committee of inquiry the previous week, Benko was at pains to play down his own hunting role - he himself had been on Signa hunts relatively rarely. In fact, the hunting business was an important part of a well-oiled lobbying machine until the bankruptcy of Signa Holding. And: Benko himself ordered particularly fine shooting equipment from a gun manufacturer in Ferlach, Carinthia, as a look in Benko's gun cabinet reveals. Apparently only the best was good enough for Benko's shooting equipment.

Purchase price: 80,880 euros

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"Shot like a little god"
 In November 2017, the gunsmith informed the real estate speculator that "your weapons are already relatively advanced". "I'll be in Vienna tomorrow and could wait for you until Wednesday morning if you have time, so that we can determine the stock dimensions and engraving." The gunsmith also provides a "short report" from Zidlochovice in the Czech Republic: "10 shooters, over 2800 pheasants", and a hunter named "Sigi", who is apparently well acquainted with Benko, shot more than 600 of them. "It was an incredible day and Sigi shot like a little god."

At the end of January 2019, the head of Jagdwaffenmanufaktur contacted the Signa founder again: "Good morning Rene! As announced, I'm sending you some pictures of your new double rifle. It already looks incredibly good. Now your set is complete." Benko, the gun collector. Obviously also at the company's expense.

Invoice to Signa Holding
The manufacturer of exclusive hunting weapons had already issued an invoice for a "stalking rifle" in July 2018. Not to Benko, however, but to his Signa Holding. The engraving (RB) alone - "as selected with plenty of gold inlays" - came at an additional cost of 36,900 euros. That made a total of 80,880 euros.

A "stalking rifle" from Scheiring: the bill went to Signa Holding GmbH.

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The gun license
According to Benko's gun license, issued on 22 February 2019, nine weapons were registered to the real estate speculator. In addition to Scheiring, these included guns made by Steyr, Blaser and Sauer & Sohn. Three double-barrelled shotguns came from Holland & Holland.

Benko's gun license

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As of February 2019, nine weapons were registered.

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Perhaps a collector would be interested in the exclusive Signa rifles. A bankrupt huntsman like Benko shouldn't really have any more use for fine hunting rifles.