Secret deals

Benko: Does Haselsteiner have to pay 50 million?

Signa founder Benko and co-investor Haselsteiner(Bild: Diverse Fotografen honorarfrei)

The insolvency of Signa Holding continues to raise new questions. Now the focus is shifting to a possible million-euro sum from the Haselsteiner family private foundation. 

The central question is whether the Austrian building contractor Hans-Peter Haselsteiner really should have paid 50 million euros into René Benko's ailing empire - or whether the promise to pay could have been a sham due to a secret deal.

Capital shortage and desperate search for money
The financial situation in the Signa network worsened as early as 2022. Profits from the successful 2021 financial year were deferred under pressure - with an interest rate of eight percent. The situation escalated at the beginning of 2023: René Benko desperately tried to raise fresh capital from investors. The aim was to raise 500 million euros. In the end, an agreement was reached on 350 million euros.

In a framework agreement, all international shareholders undertook to inject additional capital. The Haselsteiner Family Private Foundation is also to contribute 52.5 million euros. Only Fressnapf founder Torsten Toeller refused to commit to Benko.

Backroom deal
While the Swiss co-investors Arthur Eugster and Ernst Tanner met their financial obligations, Haselsteiner's foundation failed to pay. It has now come to light that a secret deal was negotiated behind the scenes: According to a confidential framework agreement, Haselsteiner's foundation was to officially guarantee participation in the capital increase - but the money for this was actually to come from Benko's own foundation.

The agreement suggests that Benko wanted to maintain the appearance that his prominent investors would continue to place their trust in Signa. However, Benko's foundation itself got into financial difficulties and was unable to raise the promised sum.

Gusenbauer as mediator
Former Federal Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer played a key role in this questionable arrangement - as chairman of the Haselsteiner Foundation. An email from Benko to "dear Gusi" reveals that the Benko family private foundation wanted to buy a percentage share in Signa Holding from Haselsteiner's foundation: in trust and at a price of 50 million euros. However, the deal apparently only remained a draft.

In October 2024, Hans-Peter Haselsteiner himself declared as a witness under an obligation to tell the truth that the framework agreement was known, but that the payment was subject to conditions. These conditions had not been met - which is why his foundation had never paid.

However, no such conditions are evident in the framework agreement, which is available to the "Krone" and "News".

Millions for the creditors?
The key question now is: How will the administrator of Signa Holding react to these facts? Could he try to claim the approximately 50 million euros from the Haselsteiner Foundation in order to at least partially cover the losses of the numerous creditors?

The Haselsteiner Foundation has yet to comment on this matter.