"Highly unusual"
No dismissal! Italians must prosecute Benko
The public prosecutor's office in Trento actually wanted to drop the investigation against record bankrupt René Benko. However, a court rejected this request and instructed the judicial authorities to bring charges against the financial juggler, who is currently in custody in Innsbruck.
As Benko's lawyer Norbert Wess confirmed to the "Krone" newspaper, a court in Trento on Thursday apparently rejected the public prosecutor's proposal to dismiss all charges and instead instructed the public prosecutor's office by court order – "contrary to its conviction" – to bring charges.
"Highly unusual"
"Such a course of action is – as our Italian colleagues confirm – highly unusual," said Wess. He added: "It should also be mentioned in this context that today's decision was made by the same court that approved the coercive measures in the past. Overall, this does not paint a good picture and would not be possible or the case in Austria."
Now, another court in Italy, independent of the case, must review the charges that are now to be brought.
"Mafia" methods for real estate deals?
Benko and other defendants are accused of having secured large real estate projects by bribing officials and exerting mafia-like pressure – we reported on this in detail. However, back in December, the investigating authorities had already filed a motion to archive a significant part of the investigation.
At that time, the investigators had concluded that the original "mafia" accusation was invalid. However, the court in Trento apparently considers the allegations relevant enough to order the indictment after all. Whatever the outcome in Italy, Benko, who has been in custody since January 2025, will not be extradited. The presumption of innocence applies to him and all other defendants.
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