Suspicion of embezzlement

New investigations against Benko’s manager puppets

Signa founder René Benko, former head of the holding company Marcus Mühlberger(Bild: Krone KREATIV/EXPA/APA/picturedesk.com, Tomschi Peter, stock.adobe.com)

Even before the second Benko trial for fraudulent crida, the Economic and Corruption Prosecutor's Office (WKStA) is stepping up the pace: it is about the shifting around of hundreds of millions of euros shortly before the bankruptcies in the Signa Group.

According to "Krone" information, the authority informed former Signa managers at the first management level about the opening of new investigations just a few days before the national holiday. These include former board members of Signa Prime and Signa Development. The former managing directors of Signa Holding, Marcus "Unterschriften-August" Mühlberger and Christoph Stadlhuber, are also affected.

Benko as alleged instigator
René Benko is in the thick of it instead of just being there as the alleged instigator of his alleged manager puppets. First of all: when looking at the figures that the criminologists are investigating, some of Benko's henchmen must have felt their hearts sink when they received the official notifications from the Signa public prosecutors. Three-digit million sums are at stake.

Just for comparison: in mid-October, René Benko received a 24-month, non-appealable prison sentence in Innsbruck. For a loss of "only" 300,000 euros determined by the jury.

Signa founder René Benko, ex-head of the holding company Marcus Mühlberger(Bild: Krone KREATIV/EXPA/APA/picturedesk.com, Tomschi Peter, stock.adobe.com)

What are the new investigations about? The suspicion of fraudulent crida and embezzlement. With dizzying amounts.

Millions disguised as loans
Specifically, Signa managers are alleged to have moved many millions around the Signa Group in the period from December 2022 to December 2023 before the billion-euro bankruptcies. Disguised as loans. For example, 240 million euros flowed from Signa Development Selection AG to Signa Development Selection Beteiligungs GmbH. And 102 million euros to Signa Prime Selection AG.

Another example: 252 million euros went from Signa Prime Selection AG to Signa Prime Holding GmbH. And Signa Holding GmbH, the top group company in the financially ailing Benko empire, granted an impressive 182 million euros to Signa Sports United.

In total, the criminalists of Soko Signa are investigating money transfers amounting to 828 million euros. René Benko and his former managers deny all allegations; the presumption of innocence applies. In total, the Benko-Signa complex now has more than 15 lines of investigation.

Money laundering investigations against mother and wife
The fact that the WKStA has recently started investigating money laundering is also exciting. In a new file. According to information from "Krone" and "News", the suspects include Ingeborg Benko, her wife Nathalie and the Ingbe Foundation based in Vaduz. The two ladies are among the beneficiaries of the foundation named after Benko's alleged "straw mother".