Pretrial Detention Imposed on René Benko
The court assumes a risk of committing the offence and obscuring it, said media spokeswoman Christina Salzborn. The decision is legally binding and effective until February 7th for now.
Signa Founder Accepted Decision on Pre-Trial Detention
In the presence of his lawyer Norbert Wess, Benko made no statements to the judge about the allegations raised against him. He accepted her decision to take him into pre-trial detention. "A complaint to the Vienna Higher Regional Court was waived," Salzborn announced in a press statement. This means that Benko will spend the next two weeks in the Vienna-Josefstadt prison. After that, a new detention review must take place by law and the continued existence of the assumed grounds for detention must be assessed. "We naturally have to take note of the court's decision and do not wish to comment further on it publicly," Wess told APA on Friday.
Benko is accused of having defrauded investors and harmed creditors. Despite ongoing insolvency proceedings, which also affected him as a private individual, he is alleged to have tried to conceal any remaining assets. He is said to have concealed the fact that he continued to act as the "de facto ruler and economic beneficiary" of the Laura Private Foundation.
Detention Conditions for Pre-Trial Detainees Regulated in StPO
The conditions of detention for pre-trial detainees are legally regulated in the Code of Criminal Procedure (StPO). They should therefore not be housed together with other pre-trial detainees if they have not been previously convicted or only for minor criminal offences. Benko is considered to be of good character. Pre-trial detainees are also allowed to wear their own clothes and underwear and use the items that were given to them upon admission to the prison. In addition to being provided with meals, they are entitled to purchase food and luxury goods "according to the rules of the penal system". They are also allowed to subscribe to newspapers and magazines.
Pre-trial detainees are generally not obliged to work in prison. However, if they wish to work voluntarily under the conditions applicable to convicted prisoners, they will be paid for their work. A pre-trial detainee is generally allowed to consult with his lawyer alone. Only in a few legally regulated exceptional cases - for example, if the discovery of evidence could be made more difficult - can the prosecutor be present during a conversation between a defendant and his defence counsel.
Benko Spent Thursday Night in JA Josefstadt in Vienna
Benko was arrested in Innsbruck. The founder of Signa is said to have "forged a bill and attempted to conceal assets and keep them out of the reach of authorities, administrators and creditors", as was subsequently communicated by the WKStA. They are investigating together with German authorities against Benko, after Benko's former corporate empire collapsed in 2023.
After his police interrogation in Innsbruck on Thursday afternoon, Benko was transferred to Vienna by the prison guard. He was admitted to the Vienna-Josefstadt prison (JA) at 5:10 pm. He spent Thursday night in a cell of the largest JA in the country.
(APA/Red)
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