Signa trial Witnesses take their turn in the trial against Signa founder Benko
The trial against the Austrian investor René Benko continued on Wednesday at the Innsbruck Regional Court. Several witnesses are to be questioned first.
15.10.2025, 09:18
15.10.2025, 09:19
SDA
The public prosecutor's office accuses the 48-year-old former billionaire of having harmed his creditors. He allegedly kept an amount of around 660,000 euros safe from creditors by paying rent in advance and making a gift to his mother.
Benko denies the allegations. The penalty for the offense is up to ten years in prison. If there are no motions for evidence after the questioning, a verdict can be expected in the course of the afternoon.
Further investigations into serious fraud and breach of trust
In the current case, Benko has to answer for his insolvency as a sole trader. The indictment is just one strand of a total of 14 proceedings in which the Austrian judiciary alone is investigating mostly serious fraud and breach of trust. Regardless of the verdict, the 48-year-old will probably face further charges.
The Tyrolean businessman had become a billionaire with the real estate and retail group Signa, which he founded. When the phase of extremely low interest rates came to an end in the early 2020s, the highly opaque conglomerate of more than 1130 companies quickly got into difficulties. The final straw was insolvency.
