Received COFAG funding – Benko’s Chalet: “He was clearly his best guest”

The Chalet N., luxury resort in Lech, created by real estate juggler René Benko. Former high flyer, now in free fall. Bankruptcies shake his empire. It’s crumbling everywhere. Also in Lech. It now appears that Chalet N., named after his wife Nathalie, was founded as a hotel, but René Benko and Co. were probably the best customers. And: COFAG received 1.2 million for failures in Corona times. Tax money.

Research by ORF and ‘Krone’ shows that about 50 percent of the overnight stays were used for Benko’s purposes, so to speak, private and business. The six-star resort was approved subject to its designation as a hotel, mainly because the number of second homes in the noble Lech had to be limited. In addition to the conspicuous use, the hotel is not open to the public, which actually contradicts the use of a public asset. Also explosive: Benko is said to have stayed in the chalet even during the lockdown, where hotels should have been closed. March and April 2020 are documented.

Hundreds of thousands of euros for a week
The Greens have given this issue special attention in view of the upcoming COFAG-U committee. Vorarlberg MP Nina Tomaselli conducted intensive research and states that 800 to 1000 overnight stays take place in Chalet N per season. This is a very low number for this tourist area. If Benko were to stay with his family and nanny, which happened quite often, that would amount to about 70 overnight stays for a week alone. Signa’s supervisory board meetings and celebrity invitations are also documented – including ex-ÖBAG boss Thomas Schmid, who expressed his gratitude through chats full of euphoria. Tomaselli: “Benko was of course his best guest.”

The Greens’ suspicion: ‘Even with the remaining overnight stays out of reach of the Benko family, it seems clear that many business partners and stakeholders have spent the night in the luxury residence.’ Benko’s Signa World may have acted generously in this regard. Because – in total, the luxurious temple 1,700 meters above sea level on the Arlberg costs about 300,000 euros for a week.

The recent sale of the chalet will also interest the curators and possibly also the finance department. It took place just before Signa Holding filed for bankruptcy. Hypo Vorarlberg has 20 million in liens on the chalet, registered in 2023. It has reportedly provided the Signa Group with a loan of more than 200 million.

Mayor sees no abuse
What does the mayor of Lech, Gerhard Lucian, say about this? “Compliance with the strict guidelines is continuously monitored by the municipality via its own inspector – regardless of the use of the building. The checks are carried out through local inspections and surveys as well as by comparing guest reports, guest taxes and taxes. These are in turn compared with actual consumption such as water and waste. These checks have not revealed any evidence of abuse of hotel Chalet N.” It also often happens that in certain cases there is no public catering space available, according to the mayor.

A question to Signa about the use of the chalet, Benko’s stay during the lockdown and the Corona financing remained unanswered for the time being.

Greens: “Tip of the iceberg”
One thing is certain: the Greens will raise these and other questions in the next committee. Nina Tomaselli is particularly interested in the tax structure of the chalet, the spontaneous sale of the chalet and the COFAG financing. “I think what we know so far about Benko’s castles in the air is just the tip of the iceberg.”