Between November and December 2023, founder René Benko’s Signa empire collapsed like a house of cards. A debt mountain of 40 billion euros has now accumulated. In March 2024, René Benko also went bankrupt as a sole proprietor, with liabilities leveling off at 2.69 billion euros.
The Economic and Corruption Public Prosecutor’s Office (WKStA) is investigating Benko & Co. in 14 lines of investigation.
A multi-part fact concerns Benko’s insolvency. In the first criminal trial, the Tyrolean was sentenced to two years in prison for fraudulent Krida. He illegally gave his mother 300,000 euros. The judgment is not final.
The second trial begins on December 10th. This time it’s about assets (120,000 euros in cash, 250,000 euros in watches) that were hidden in a safe in the house of his wife’s relatives.
Sale to the forestry estate
Another final report from SOKO Signa is now available. The line of investigation is called: weapons. The suspicion: fraudulent Krida again. “René Benko is suspected of having, as a debtor to several creditors in Innsbruck, concealed parts of his assets, set them aside, sold them or otherwise reduced his assets, both really and apparently, and thereby thwarted or at least reduced the satisfaction fund for his creditors,” it says in the final report.
In addition, “he is said to have sold six shotguns and rifles, which were originally purchased by him, to Forstgut Stmk. GmbH & Co. KG for 100,564.20 euros with an invoice dated October 10, 2023; although these long weapons were actually never handed over to Forstgut Stmk GmbH & Co. KG, but remained in the control of René Benko free of charge.”
Found during raid
The purchase price is said to have been credited to Benko’s account days later and the credited invoice amount was used “for the costs of his lifestyle”. Days later he sold another three weapons to the forestry estate for 25,000 euros.
All weapons were seized in a raid on Benko’s villa in Innsbruck-Igls in June 2024.
The Stmk forest estate. GmbH & Co. KG belongs indirectly to the Laura Private Foundation. The investigators assume that the Signa bankrupt is the “actual ruler” of the Laura Private Foundation and its daughters. Or to put it another way: This foundation is de facto the Benkos family business.
A few months before bankruptcy
You have to know that the Laura Private Foundation first had to provide the forestry company with financial resources so that it could buy the weapons in the first place.
Insolvency expert Gerhard Weinhofer from Creditreform says that legal transactions within a family can be challenged ten years back according to the insolvency regulations. It would have been clean for the weapons to have been disposed of by the liquidator.
“Since the time of the sale of the weapons is closely related (…) to the insolvency of Signa Holding, it cannot be ruled out that the sale of the weapons (…) took place with the aim of reducing the satisfaction fund for creditors, especially since bankruptcy proceedings were opened against René Benko just a few months after the sale,” the final report continues.
Nothing to complain about?
If René Benko has his way, then the arms sales are not objectionable. On the contrary, the weapons were sold at purchase price.
“The sales price of 100,564 euros set for the first tranche of arms sales is 10,564 euros above the market value of the weapons of 90,000 euros determined by the expert,” said Benko in a statement. “Therefore, the accusation that the weapons in question were sold at an underpriced price by Mr. René Benko can in no way be maintained.” This also “clearly refutes the fact that René Benko reduced his assets and reduced the satisfaction of his creditors”.
That’s what the trustee says
“I would like these weapons to be handed over to the bankruptcy estate,” says Benko’s liquidator Andreas Grabenweger to the KURIER. “This has so far been refused on the grounds that they were legally sold.” Addendum: “I haven’t seen any invoices yet either. So this is an unfinished question for me.”