Judge extended

René Benko has to go before the judge again

René Benko had to appear before the magistrate again on Thursday.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/HELMUT FOHRINGER / APA / picturedesk.com)

René Benko's pre-trial detention should have been reviewed on Friday, February 28 at the latest. Almost at the last minute, namely on Thursday, the record-breaking bankrupt had to appear before the magistrate in Vienna Landl, as the "Krone" learned. As expected, his stay in the Gray House was extended. 

René Benko has been behind bars since 23 January and the fallen real estate juggler has had to make do with prison fare and a cell measuring around ten square meters instead of gourmet menus and a swank villa. According to reports, he spends most of his days in his solitary cell and talking to his lawyers for hours on end. He is not allowed to work while in custody. Time outside the four walls, for example in the yard of Josefstadt correctional institution, is strictly limited.

His everyday life will not change for the time being, as his pre-trial detention was extended on Thursday. The decision was made at the request of the Public Prosecutor's Office for Economic Affairs and Corruption. The pre-trial detention, which was first imposed on January 24, 2025, had already been extended once on January 31, 2025. The hearing was not public on Thursday either; Benko was brought to the regional court via a direct connection from the prison.

The court continues to assume that there is urgent suspicion of a crime and that there is a risk of imprisonment.

Mitteilung des Landesgerichts für Strafsachen Wien

A new decision on René Benko's pre-trial detention must be made by Monday, April 28, 2025 at the latest. The fallen real estate juggler and his lawyers have three days to lodge an appeal against the decision to extend his pre-trial detention with the Vienna Higher Regional Court. The defense and the WKStA made no statement.

Pre-trial detention in Austria

Pre-trial detention is only imposed for a limited period of time - the so-called detention period. A detention hearing must be held shortly before this period expires or in the event of an application for release by the accused. This will examine whether the conditions for detention are still met. If these no longer apply, the accused must be released.

The detention period is 14 days from the imposition of pre-trial detention, one month from the first continuation of pre-trial detention and two months from the further continuation of pre-trial detention.

Only the parties to the proceedings are summoned to the non-public detention hearings and the accused is brought out of custody for this purpose.

Release unlikely
However, it is more than unlikely that Benko will be released in the near future. Pre-trial detention must be reviewed every two months and it is to be expected that the Public Prosecutor's Office for Economic Affairs and Corruption will bring charges in the near future. According to the new regulation, pre-trial detention in investigations into a crime punishable by more than five years in prison may last for a maximum of two years.

Investigations in several countries
Benko was arrested in Innsbruck on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a crime. The Signa founder is said to have "falsified an invoice and attempted to conceal assets and evade access by authorities, trustees and creditors", according to the WKStA. It is investigating Benko together with German authorities after his former company empire collapsed in 2023.

The real estate juggler is also being investigated in other countries.