Porsche, weapons ...

What Benko and his managers are accused of

The Porsche was also seized in the course of the raids against Benko on June 25.

(Bild: „Krone“)

Seven facts on 21 pages. The "Krone" knows the details of the search warrant against René Benko and key Signa managers.

Almost exactly seven months after the biggest bankruptcy in Austrian economic history, the Public Prosecutor's Office for Economic Affairs and Corruption (WKStA) has ordered house searches against René Benko and his Signa entourage. On 21 pages, the corruption investigators list seven facts that massively incriminate financial juggler Benko and his most important managers for many years ...

It is about asset transfers and a money carousel set in motion in August 2023, but also about expensive weapons, withdrawals worthy of clarification, possible investor deception and a luxury sports car. The suspicion is of serious fraud, embezzlement and fraudulent crida. René Benko and all persons named in this context are presumed innocent.

In the course of the raids against Benko on June 25, the luxury Porsche (in mint condition) costing several hundred thousand euros was also seized.

(Bild: „Krone“)

Benko's bankruptcy
On March 9, the Innsbruck regional court opened bankruptcy proceedings against the entrepreneur Benko. Investigators now suspect that "Benko had set aside part of his assets (...) at locations yet to be determined in the period from January 2023 to March 2024". It is therefore striking that "despite the defendant's very high income in recent years and receipts in the millions on the accounts provisionally evaluated by the insolvency administrator, only relatively small assets appear in the asset register."

In addition, Benko's weapons register shows "some high-priced weapons" that are not listed in the list of assets. In January 2023, for example, the real estate speculator paid 69,000 euros for two weapons "from his private current account" and had a Glock registered in his name in October 2023. Also in October, at a time when the "imbalance of the Signa Group was already widely known in the media", Benko apparently sold a Porsche 911 Speedster, which had previously been registered in his name, to a company belonging to his Laura Foundation for 150,000 euros.

Investigators were also struck by the fact that Benko's wife is said to have received "additional maintenance" of two million euros for a real estate investment in January 2023. In addition, according to investigators, there were cash withdrawals "in excess of 600,000 euros in 2023".

Investigators combed through the Benko villa in Innsbruck-Igls on Tuesday morning.

(Bild: Birbaumer Christof/Krone KREATIV)

Moved villas
On August 18, 2023, a dubious deal is implemented in the Signa Group: On this day, the INGBE Foundation based in Vaduz, which is considered the Benkos' bunker, transfers its 578,905 shares in Signa Prime, which will be almost worthless a few months later, to Signa Holding for 46 million. In return, six valuable dream villas on Lake Garda were transferred to the INGBE Foundation. According to suspicions, Benko is to be seen as the "central decision-maker and driving force behind the transactions". The authorities are also targeting former Signa Holding managing director Christoph Stadlhuber and long-term CFO Manuel Pirolt.

The corruption investigators are paying particular attention to a shift in assets in August 2023. On August 17, the Signa Group is already up to its neck in water. Liquidity is lacking everywhere. As reported, Benko receives the rejection of a 400 million investment from Korea, whereupon he writes to his CFO: "FUCK".

At Benko's side for many years: Christoph Stadlhuber (right), Managing Director of Signa Holding until a few weeks ago

(Bild: APA/SIGNA/K18,HELMUT FOHRINGER, HANS KLAUS TECHT; linkedin, Krone KREATIV)

The money carousel
According to the public prosecutor's order, revelations from "Krone" and "News" about a so-called money carousel are also a central part of the latest house searches. The criminal investigators and the WKStA are focusing on René Benko and Marcus "Unterschriften-August" Mühlberger, who, as Managing Director of Signa Holding, is considered the closest confidant of the Signa founder. They are accused of serious fraud because - as reported at the end of March - they allegedly gave other shareholders of Signa Holding the impression through a cash transaction that the Benko family private foundation would carry out a EUR 35.35 million capital increase.

Excerpt from the warrant for the house search

(Bild: zVg)

However, the money is said to have been borrowed on one side of the Signa empire and paid in again on the other side as allegedly "fresh" capital. A classic circular transfer. Other investors such as the Swiss chocolate baron Ernst Tanner and the Swiss entrepreneur Arthur Eugster actually transferred the millions they had pledged as part of the capital increase.

Other facts include the Vienna Twentytwo project and a loan extension from an Austrian private bank. The fact that Benko is described as a "designated offender" in the search warrant is particularly serious for him.