"Soko Signa"

New special unit sets its sights on Benko

The air around René Benko seems to be getting thinner and thinner - the Federal Criminal Police Office is also investigating.

(Bild: APA/Hans Klaus Techt)

The air is getting thinner for René Benko and his closest associates. Not only in financial terms. According to information from "Krone", a special "Soko Signa" unit was set up at the Federal Criminal Police Office on Monday.

This special commission is acting on behalf of the Economic and Corruption Prosecution Office (WKStA), where several senior public prosecutors have been working on a large number of complaints relating to the opaque Signa conglomerate in recent weeks. The charges relate to suspected financial offenses such as embezzlement and fraud. The presumption of innocence applies.

More than ten detectives
The collapse of the Signa Group is known to be the largest insolvency in Austrian economic history. The special unit of the Federal Criminal Police Office is staffed accordingly: According to reports, more than ten criminologists are working on the explosive case surrounding the billion-euro bankruptcies of Signa Holding, Signa Prime and Signa Development.

The air around René Benko seems to be getting thinner and thinner - the Federal Criminal Police Office is also investigating.

(Bild: APA/Hans Klaus Techt)

A special "Soko" has already begun its work.

(Bild: EPA)

Confidants remain on the board
The administrator has already taken the reins at Signa Holding, while the two other core companies are still under self-administration. To the astonishment of numerous economic experts. This means that Benko confidants are still on the management board.

Non-transparent company structure
Over many years, financial juggler Benko created a non-transparent construct of well over 1000 companies at the Signa Group. Deliberate concealment was the order of the day, for example in connection with annual financial statements that were often not published in the company register for years. The fines for this were reimbursed to the managing directors or board members by the group - and, curiously, even deducted from tax.

In addition, there was no consolidated group balance sheet in the convoluted corporate empire of Benko, who had himself slipped into bankruptcy in the meantime, i.e. no complete financial picture of the financially ailing group. Here, too, a great deal of energy was expended in cooperation with tax advisors to avoid outside insights.

Access to private assets
It only became known on Thursday that the entrepreneur Benko has now also filed for bankruptcy in his private life. The Innsbruck regional court has now appointed a liquidator, who will have access to Benko's assets and private accounts.