Question to Wallner

Greens want clarity on Signa

Hypo Vorarlberg was closely linked to Signa.

(Bild: Hypo BanK Vorarlberg)

Hypo Vorarlberg has maintained close business ties with René Benko's Signa Group. The Greens are now calling on regional head Markus Wallner to finally provide clarification. 

Hardly a day goes by without new revelations about the insolvent Signa Group of real estate juggler René Benko; the case has now become a criminal case. Whether possible COVID funding fraud at Chalet N in Lech, the alleged corruption in South Tyrol or the possible financial fiasco at the Lamarr department store - Hypo was involved in all of these projects. From Vorarlberg's point of view, the question of how much money the Landesbank actually sank into the Tyrolean's bubble empire is particularly burning.

"Governor cannot hide"
From the point of view of the Ländle-Greens, it is first and foremost up to Governor Markus Wallner to shed light on the matter: "The people of Vorarlberg have a right to expect that their money is handled with care. As the owner's representative, Wallner must assume his responsibility and exhaust all control options," emphasize club chairman Daniel Zadra and control spokeswoman Eva Hammerer. In the past, Wallner had repeatedly pointed out that the operational business was the sole responsibility of Hypo's Board of Managing Directors. However, Zadra is not satisfied with this: "The governor cannot hide behind the Board of Managing Directors, but must inform himself in detail about the situation: How high is the debt level of the Signa empire at Hypo, how much has already been repaid and how high will the losses be for the people of Vorarlberg?"

The bank's reputation is at stake
If funds from Ländle-Hypo had actually been used to finance construction projects linked to criminal activities, this would be extremely damaging to the bank's good reputation, which of course could not be in the interests of the owner, according to the Greens' dual leadership. In order to force the head of the province, Wallner, out of hiding at least a little, the Greens submitted a parliamentary question on Friday morning, including a comprehensive list of questions.