New abysses continue to open in the affair surrounding René Benko and his financially distressed Signa construction.
Midway through the week it became known that the financial juggler’s company even had former chief advisor Dieter Berninghaus and his family spied on in 2023. From a company owned by former Israeli intelligence officer Moshe Buller and which operates internationally.
Apparently bank and company documents relating to the most personal aspects of the Berninghaus family’s life have been obtained, according to research by ‘Krone’ and ‘News’. A Benko lawyer from Vienna is also involved in the espionage affair and has, among other things, recorded conversations with the ‘researcher’ in official fee notes.
After a brief period of shock, former Signa trading boss Berninghaus said through his lawyer: “Dieter Berninghaus and his family are stunned and extremely shocked by the facts that have come to light here. These now need to be analyzed in more detail. The family therefore cannot comment on possible legal action at this time.” Suspicions are growing: some of these documents may not have been obtained legally.
The espionage attack on Berninghaus, a longtime confidant of Benko, was covered by several media outlets in the German-speaking world. Ex-secret agent Buller partly tried to give the impression that he had carried out this operation not on behalf of Benkos Signa, but at the request of a company from the Far East.
There are now even indications that Moshe Buller and his agency were mandated by the Signa Group. Buller’s “International Intelligence Agency” stated in a report to Signa that the spy company “was assigned to investigate Dieter Berninghaus in February 2023, after a meeting with the client.” Namely from “two senior Signa managers and a law firm from Vienna”. It also says: They wanted to know whether Dieter Berninghaus represented a “risk person” from the perspective of Signa or René Benko.
The report is signed by Moshe Buller. With stamp and signature. He even called himself: “Detective”.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
