Real estate agent Benko

What was going on with German team boss Nagelsmann?

Benko offered the current DFB national team coach Nagelsmann several properties with a view of Lake Garda.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/APA / EXPA / Johann Groder Associated Press)

Financial juggler René Benko wanted to sell German soccer coach Julian Nagelsmann a villa on Lake Garda in August 2023.

Officially, René Benko has not held an operational management role in the Signa Group since 2013. In fact, the bustling financial juggler was something of a de facto ruler in the opaque jungle of more than 1,000 companies until shortly before the collapse at the end of 2023 - at least that's not just the view of the public prosecutor's office. Even without an official entry in the company register, the Tyrolean often controlled his conglomerate down to the smallest detail: as a micromanager, he even took care of the table arrangements for a summer party at Villa Ansaldi on Lake Garda.

Email at 1 a.m.: "Hi, you have a question ..."
 Research has now revealed that René Benko himself even acted as a real estate agent. In August 2023, at the Eden Gardone hotel and villa project, which he wanted to make palatable to the most famous German soccer coach: the current DFB national coach Julian Nagelsmann.

Julian Nagelsmann has been coaching the German national team since September 2023.

(Bild: AFP/APA/Tobias SCHWARZ)

On Wednesday, August 16, 2023, Nagelsmann, then still on leave from FC Bayern Munich, contacted the real estate speculator shortly after 1 a.m:

"Servus, you one question, are you still selling a house on Lago di Garda?"

Benko answers just a few hours later at 5.17 a.m:

"Good morning!

Yes, we still have two houses for sale in Villa Eden Gardone on Lake Garda

Just get in touch if you want to know more

Best regards

Rene"

Extract from the e-mail correspondence between Julian Nagelsmann and René Benko

(Bild: zVg)

On Saturday, August 17, 2013, Nagelsmann gets in touch again.

"Subject: Houses

Rene, can you please send me some information?"

Benko replies on Sunday, 5.30 am:

"Coming by tomorrow Monday - send me your mobile number.

Mine is: +43664xxxxxxxxx"

A few days later, on August 23, 2023, Nagelsmann receives an exposé of those villas that are available. Benko writes:

"Hi Julian!

Enclosed you will find a link to our homepage where you can view the individual villas.

Available for sale are Villa Sphere Ovest, Villa David Chipperfield North and Villa Sphere North.

Alternatively, there are also the Landmark Gardenhouses.

You will also find a brochure of the best villa in the supplement.

Have a look through it and then give me a call.

Greetings Rene"

Villa Sphere: Insight into the "brochure" that Benko sent to Nagelsmann

(Bild: zVg )

Benko's role as a broker of Lake Garda real estate is controversial. For several reasons. Because at the time when the German coaching star Nagelsmann became interested in the Villa Eden project and approached Benko, the property was still owned by Signa Holding. At the time, on August 16, 2023, Benko already had his hands full plugging the holes at his financially ailing Signa Group.

On August 17, 2023, Benko receives the rejection of a much-needed 400-million-euro cash injection from Korea. He then famously wrote an email to his longstanding CFO. It contained just one word: "FUCK". According to investigators, Benko and his henchmen may have recognized the beginning of the end by then at the latest.

Transfer to Liechtenstein
In any case, on August 18, 2023, Benko pulled out all the stops to have the luxury villas on Lake Garda transferred from Signa Holding to his discreet INGBE Foundation in Liechtenstein, with which he officially no longer wanted anything to do. A swap deal worth over 46 million euros takes place, as it were, in which the economic and corruption prosecutor's office is now also interested:

Signa Holding receives shares in Signa Prime from INGBE in return, although their value tends towards zero a few months later when insolvency has to be filed. However, Benko's foundation made a nice cut on August 18. From the point of view of the creditors in the Signa billion-euro insolvency, however, the swap meant a loss of millions.

Five days after this deal, which had been closely scrutinized by the criminals, on 23 August 2023, Benko offered the Lake Garda villas that had been transferred to his foundation to the German startup coach.

"Far too expensive"
 Julian Nagelsmann, however, has turned it down. "Krone research revealed that the villas offered by Benko were "far too expensive" for the current German national team coach.

The villa designed by David Chipperfield with four bedrooms and six bathrooms is currently being offered by Sotheby's in Italy for 12.55 million euros. The one by architect Richard Meier for 10.98 million.

Contact since 2022
The direct contact between Julian Nagelsmann and René Benko has probably existed since January 2022, when the then FC Bayern head coach asked the Signa string-puller if he knew of a "great property" in the Kitzbühel or Wilder Kaiser region. Benko replied in the negative, pointing out that he was not traveling in this area. Two years later, Nagelsmann then struck gold with a house in Fieberbrunn in the Kitzbühel district.

In 2022, Nagelsmann was also interested in a stay at the posh Chalet N in Oberlech. Benko was apparently the top booking agent there. At least for special guests. He wrote: "Hi Julian! Regarding possible free slots at Chalet N, just send me an email - I'll check what's possible." In his case, they would "certainly find an extended weekend."