Signa - House Searches in Austria

Insolvency administrator Andrea Fruhstorfer confirmed in a statement "as part of a European investigation, 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".

Signa House Searches in Vienna and Tyrol

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, conducted by the SOKO Signa of the Federal Criminal Police Office.

According to "profil", house searches took place at Palais Ferstl on Herrengasse in Vienna and at the same time in other Signa offices in Vienna, Innsbruck, in a Signa warehouse in Korneuburg, where the mountains of files related to the almost countless Signa projects of recent years are stored. A house search also took place at the office of the Laura Private Foundation in Innsbruck as well as in René Benko's home. Storage rooms and underground garages, attics, and basement compartments were searched.

Different Complexes of Offenses than in Previous House Searches

The Munich I Public Prosecutor's Office stated upon APA inquiry: "The house searches are taking place based on a corresponding request for legal assistance at the instigation of the Munich I Public Prosecutor's Office and relate to different complexes of offenses and companies than those previously affected by the searches conducted in Austria". According to the "Standard", "the German judiciary was searching for documents related to twelve different companies around Munich real estate projects, including one at Bahnhofplatz ("Project Franz") and the Alte Akademie. Additionally, the authorities were looking for documents and contracts from which financing, asset shifts, and similar could be derived." They were searching for documents from January 2017 to today, writes the newspaper, citing the investigation order from Germany.

The content concerns approximately 113 million euros from Saudi Arabia, which are said to have been transferred on March 17, 2022. The accused allegedly accepted the earmarking for the "Project Franz" only as a pretense, and the money was transferred to Signa Prime on the same day, according to the newspaper. According to "profil," 187 million euros flowed from the Saudi Arabian state fund PIF in this deal in 2022, of which 180 million were "passed on" internally within Signa on the same day. The investigators suspected that the Signa managers violated the earmarking of at least 113 million euros and the contractually regulated formation of a liquidity reserve of six million euros.

Benko currently in pre-trial detention

The Italian authorities requested correspondences, records of payment flows, and access data. Specifically, for the period from January 1, 2013, to today, writes "profil": "According to insiders, the Italian search warrant is said to be particularly extensive and includes absolutely all documents, data carriers, correspondences related to all Italian projects of Signa in recent years." Based on the Italian request, searches were conducted in the Benko villa in Igls, south of Innsbruck, as well as in office premises of former Signa participations in the city center of the Tyrolean capital.

According to "profil," Benko is repeatedly referred to as the leader of a criminal organization in the Italian order. He is accused of potentially influencing elections with large donations to implement projects with the help of compliant officials. Among others, the urban development project "Gries Village" in Bolzano or the Waltherpark, a renovation project of a department store in the heart of the city, a student dormitory, and the expansion of the airport were mentioned. In 2022, the secretary of the deputy mayor of Bolzano was allegedly promised an employment contract with Signa after the end of his service with the municipality "for the favorable treatment of the concerns of the Signa group," which was then also granted.

Benko himself is currently in pre-trial detention in Vienna. This was extended by two months just 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.

(APA/Red)

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