Lake Garda excitement

Under the hammer: who picked up the Benko boat

August 2024: René Benko cruises across Lake Garda.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/zVg, Christof Birbaumer)

Two long-time confidants of the bustling financial juggler secured the fillet pieces at an auction. 

When the "Krone" newspaper published the photo document last week showing Austria's best-known bankrupt in August 2024 happily cruising on Lake Garda in a pleasure boat, even the level-headed administrator Andreas Grabenweger was furious:

"It must have been clear to everyone involved that the boat could no longer be put into operation from the opening of insolvency proceedings (early March 2024, note)," explained Benko's court-appointed overseer in financial matters. And: The incident on Lake Garda is an "indication that the debtor's willingness to cooperate is not as high as I have repeatedly been assured."