René Benko has been hunting for many years. Not just with a politician.
In the heyday of his now financially ailing Signa Group, the financial juggler relied specifically on yacht invites to continually expand his network in real estate and entrepreneurial circles. Even a former federal-state real estate agency boss should at least appear on Signa’s internal subpoena lists.
Signa Holding operated its own yachts in Burgenland and Tyrol; the hunting activities were stopped by curator Christof Stapf at the beginning of December 2023, a few days after the bankruptcy. By then, full-time hunters had even become available. Even after his personal corporate bankruptcy, the real estate speculator still has access to the area in Stüblergut in Styria, which is owned by the Benkos Laura Private Foundation through a subsidiary.
Hunting bears in a private jet
However, for many years Benko was an integral part of an elite hunting group that regularly traveled to Hungary, the Czech Republic or the Romanian Carpathians. As befits your status, you have traveled in a private jet and sometimes covered the last few meters in a helicopter to encounter even wilder animals such as bears. These rounds are organized by an entrepreneur from Liechtenstein who likes to pull the strings in the background.
In addition to the Signa founder, always present: the entrepreneur and Benko friend Siegfried Wolf. The former managing director of Bank Austria and later Sberbank Austria boss Gerhard Randa. The billionaire German meat manufacturer Clemens Tönnies. Former Boris Becker manager and Romanian oligarch Ion Tiriac. Or the former Daimler board member and Russia lobbyist Klaus Mangold.
At the end of September 2014, the Liechtenstein organizer wrote an email in which he provided the “best hunting friends” with “details about the bear (wolf and boar) in Turgu Mures” (Romania).
At the end of October 2014, Benko received two invitations for December. Once for the Czech Republic, another time for a hunt with Siegfried Wolf.
But the group didn’t just meet to hunt together. Putin expert Klaus Mangold organized annual Tafelspitz rounds, which traditionally took place on the second New Year’s Day in the Arlberg.
Mangold, who was also known as ‘Mister Russia’ in Germany, had a consultancy contract with Benkos Signa Holding from 2014. Apparently to open doors for German industrialists. The compensation was 25,000 euros per month.
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.
