What role did the former Chancellor play in the Signa universe of the billion dollar pepper? A new invoice appears around the testimony for the “Soko Signa”. In millions.
René Benko has been in custody in the Vienna Josefstadt Correctional Facility since January 23. Five days later, the researchers of the Soko Signa tied up the millions of financial juggles: Alfred Gusenbauer, who had moved to the realm of the real estate specialist who had almost flown at the beginning of 2009, had to witness as a witness. Under truth.
The most important topic of the interrogation: the money carousel that René Benko would have started in the summer of 2023 to discover 35.35 million euros in the Financial Signa Group.
The lot of money must be smuggled by various Signa companies to end at a Benko Foundation. From there it was returned to the Signa. Disguised as so -called fresh equity. The suspicion of the researchers: Signa founder Benko wanted to give his co-investors the impression of this adventurous circular transfer to his co-investors he would precede with a good example with a bitter purchasing of money, although the already heavily leaned sign was Was not actually given his own money.
Gusenbauer explains the planned capital increase: he “had no perception because I was not involved.” But later he was informed by Benko and co-investor Hans Peter Haselsteiner, for whose Foundations Gusenbauer also works.
My name is hare …
Second direction of the criminalists: when was the former Chancellor, as the supervisory head of board of various nuclear companies, as well as advisory board and consultant of the Signa Holding, “the Signa observes GmbH in a difficult economic situation?”
Here too, Gusenbauer apparently acted according to the motto: my name is Haas, I know almost nothing. His answer: “The advisory board was not involved in this respect, so I have no knowledge of it.”
So no knowledge. When considering the facts, this is at least a quirky view of things, at the end of which is the greatest bankruptcy in Austrian economic history.
Three million calculation
Because: Gusenbauer in 2023 was even involved in “Capital Revising Measures”, when the Signa was sought for liquidity on all corners and ends. This stems from new documents that are available for the “Kroon” and “News”.
The former SP chairman Gusenbauer invited the Signa possession as three million euros on October 24, 2023, about a month before the bankruptcy. For “the strategic advice of management in the implementation of capital expansion measures of the individual Signa companies”, as is literally said in the calculation text. The implementation period: April 1 to October 31, 2023.
There is also another 300,000 euros in costs, which fluttered the Signa only a few days later, on November 2, on November 2 in the house. According to his calculation text, Gusenbauer “the second part of the Bonus 2023 according to the agreement”.
On November 22, 2023, a week before the Signa with a bankruptcy registration, the alarm bells are starkly, at least with the main controller of the Signa Group. He handed over the two Gusenbauer-Honorarnot to the two holding managers about a total of 3.3 million euros and noted:
‘Dear colleagues, I came from RB yesterday (Apparently: René Benko; comment) Informs that there is no agreement known about the invoices. Similar payments have always been made in recent years.
50,000 euros fixage
By the way: the tense economic situation of the signal possession could have attracted the attention of chief adviser Gusenbauer months earlier. When you look at his account. He would have noticed that the Signa possession is the monthly basic allowance for the chief advisor.
According to a confidential document, Guenbauer’s Holding Advisor from the company even sent a reminder of a total of 279,949 euros on October 13, 2023. At that time all costs have been opened since May.
The monthly competition of Guenbauer as the advisory board was still 29,950 euros in 2022. On 8 February 2023 the reimbursement was increased to 50,000 euros. That day, Gusenbauer celebrated his 63rd birthday.
The former KanSelier left a written request for the new documents unanswered. The prominent witness has not yet been asked by the researchers about this fact.
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.
