Signa - House Searches in Austria

Insolvency administrator Andrea Fruhstorfer confirmed in a statement "as part of a European investigation procedure, house searches were conducted at several properties of the insolvent Signa Group - including the premises of Signa Development Selection AG in Vienna as well as addresses in Innsbruck".

The triggers were requests for legal assistance and European investigation orders from the Munich I Public Prosecutor's Office and the Italian Procura della Repubblica di Trento - Direzione Distrettuale Antimafia (DDA). The subject of the investigations includes "among other things, criminal allegations against René Benko and other accused individuals". The house searches were approved by the Vienna Regional Court for Criminal Matters at the request of the WKStA and carried out by the SOKO Signa of the Federal Criminal Police Office.

Previously, the "Kronenzeitung" reported on searches at the Signa headquarters in Vienna's Herrengasse and at locations in Tyrol, including the former office of Signa founder Benko in the Kaufhaus Tyrol and the Benko Villa in Innsbruck. The "Tiroler Tageszeitung" reported that "investigators apparently meticulously photographed the interior of the villa". The Munich I Public Prosecutor's Office confirmed to the "Kurier" house searches "at Signa properties in Austria". The WKStA stated in response to an APA inquiry that they "currently cannot provide any information" regarding the reports.

Benko in Vienna in Pre-Trial Detention

Benko himself is currently in pre-trial detention in Vienna. This was extended by two months on Tuesday. The Economic and Corruption Prosecutor's Office (WKStA) sees a risk of collusion and commission of offenses. He is particularly accused of having forged an invoice and attempted to conceal assets and withdraw them from the reach of authorities, insolvency administrators, and creditors.

The Trento Public Prosecutor's Office suspected Benko of being "the leader of a mafia-like criminal organization" founded with the aim of obtaining concessions and permits to derive unjustified profits, as revealed in the investigation files. In Italy, there was an arrest warrant against Benko, which was rejected by a court in Tyrol.

In Bavaria, investigators are examining whether Benko and other managers of the Signa Group defrauded a Saudi Arabian state fund. At the same time, it is being investigated whether Benko and possible accomplices embezzled funds from a Signa Group company. In both cases, the three-digit million amounts are said to have flowed directly into the "corporate complex" Signa immediately after receipt.

Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office Investigates

Apart from that, the Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office is also investigating, among other things, on suspicion of subsidy fraud and bankruptcy delay. The trigger for the Munich investigation procedure, which has been ongoing since 2023, was several money laundering suspicion reports.

(APA/Red)

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