Photos have surfaced

Benko: Now also an illegal boat trip

(Bild: zVg, Krone KREATIV)

If there was any more proof needed that René Benko is dancing around on the noses of his creditors and his liquidator, this photo (see video and story below) is it.

The "Krone" has a photo showing the billionaire bankrupt as the captain of his blue Malibu sports boat. Benko relaxing and sunbathing in his territory around Villa Ansaldi, taken in the second half of August 2024, just under six months after his personal bankruptcy as an entrepreneur. At the beginning of March, Benko presented himself before the Innsbruck provincial court and judge Hannes Seiser as a man without means.

The "Krone" has revealing pictures showing an illustrious company.

(Bild: zVg, Krone KREATIV)

Captain Benko is steering a boat that he should no longer have been allowed to steer.

(Bild: zVg, Krone KREATIV)

Following the bankruptcy tsunami in the Signa Group, the insolvency administrators are now faced with a mountain of debt amounting to around 30 billion euros. In Benko's personal bankruptcy proceedings as an entrepreneur, creditors have registered around 2.4 billion in claims. Benko himself allegedly has to make do with a monthly income of 3700 euros.

Obviously no reason to give up the dolce vita. Benko still lives in an 86-million-euro villa in Igls, whose 238,500-euro monthly rent is paid by his mother Ingeborg. And in the summer, he used the Villa Ansaldi in Sirmione, which is apparently made available to him by a discreet Liechtenstein foundation. Austria's best-known bankrupt was spotted on Lake Garda in August with bodyguards and servants. As if the billion-euro bankruptcy had never happened.

Sports boat for 150,000 euros
It is remarkable that the billionaire bankrupt was still able to use his blue Malibu boat months after his oath of disclosure. The Signa founder had purchased the motor yacht privately in 2020. For 150,000 euros. On May 30, 2024, it was valued at 95,000 euros by an appraiser commissioned by the trustee in bankruptcy Andreas Grabenweger.

No longer allowed to use the boat
Why was Captain Benko still allowed to sail the boat across the turquoise waters of Lake Garda at the end of August? Why was it not auctioned off in June in the interests of the many creditors? Did the financial juggler need the watercraft for his professional advancement? But above all: did he pay his liquidator Andreas Grabenweger an appropriate fee for using it?

Benko left an inquiry unanswered. Obviously for good reason. After all, his boat trip on Lake Garda was not lawful; according to his trustee in bankruptcy, the real estate speculator should no longer have been allowed to use the blue Malibu vessel from the time the insolvency proceedings were opened.

Outrage from the insolvency administrator
Benko's insolvency administrator Andreas Grabenweger is accordingly outraged in an interview with the "Krone" newspaper: "Mr. Benko always emphasizes that he is cooperative. But that is no longer credible."

Incidentally, the boat was collected on September 24 and released for auction. In the meantime, Benko would probably no longer have any use for it. Italy has issued an arrest warrant for him.