New Week Brings Decision on Benko's Pre-Trial Detention

Benko's lawyer is said to have filed a release application. A decision on the extension of the pre-trial detention would have had to be made by April 27 at the latest.

New Week with Detention Review

"The Economic and Corruption Prosecutor's Office assumes, based on the current investigation results, that the conditions for pre-trial detention still exist," noted the WKStA. "Therefore, the Economic and Corruption Prosecutor's Office has also applied for the continuation of Rene Benko's pre-trial detention at the Vienna Regional Criminal Court." It was not confirmed that an indictment is imminent in April. However: "The investigations are in full swing," the WKStA stated.

According to a report in the business magazine "trend," the first indictment is supposed to concern the "money carousel" that Benko allegedly set in motion during the capital increase of his Signa Holding in 2023 - which Benko denies. According to the report, the prosecution relies on phone surveillance and observations of Benko as well as witness statements from former business partners.

The accusation of circulating the money involves the claim that the 35 million euros Benko supposedly contributed as fresh capital for Signa did not actually come from him. In reality, the funds were previously withdrawn from another Signa company, channeled through several stages, and presented as his own money, according to the prosecution's allegation. It relies, among other things, on the statements of the then Signa investors Eugen Eugster (Frismag) and Ernst Tanner (Lindt & Sprüngli), who contributed 33 and 2.1 million euros respectively for the capital increase.

Benko Allegedly Under Surveillance

As reported by "trend," Benko was under surveillance for several weeks in the summer of 2024. Meetings of the Signa founder with a number of individuals were documented through photos - including two encounters with construction tycoon Hans-Peter Haselsteiner, one of the major Signa investors. The phones of Benko and former Signa multi-manager Manuel Pirolt were also monitored over an extended period in the middle of last year. Occasionally, investigators also listened in on video conferences. The protocols of the intercepted phone calls, recorded text messages, personal interviews, and submissions on whistleblower platforms already fill thousands of pages in the Signa court file under around 1,200 reference numbers, reports "trend."

The phone calls and messages would show that Benko was still intensely involved with various matters in the Signa environment well into the previous year. Benko, however, denies this.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.