When Signa Holding was searched, founder René Benko was looking for investors in Saudi Arabia.
In summer, René Benko still sailed in calm waters off the coast of Sardinia with his 62-meter yacht “RoMa”, which once belonged to Ronny Pecik. Now the sea is getting rougher for the department store juggler. The prosecutors saw such an urgent suspicion of bribery that they ordered a search of Benko’s Signa. These are tax benefits worth millions of euros, which could have been achieved by influencing a high-ranking official.
As is well known, Thomas Schmid from his time as Secretary General of the Ministry of Finance revealed that untaxed profits of 53 million euros could have been stolen in connection with a multiple sale of the former BAWAG real estate to Signa companies.
Benko could also have saved tax with the tax authorities when using his private jet “Global 7000” (new price: 70 million euros). Just like Benko, ‘boat friend’ Pecik is also central: he is said to have made expensive cars available to Schmid.
But where was Benko when detectives dragged boxes of information from his Signa on Tuesday? In Saudi Arabia apparently looking for investors. Because his group probably has a lot of money again.
Benko’s retail chain wants money from the state again
The retail chain Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof has turned out to be a bottomless pit: the German taxpayer has already been asked twice to pay a total of 680 million euros in state aid and now wants to pocket another 238 million. In Berlin, it is rumored that Benko wants to advertise the German finance minister at the end of October. The Financial Times and Bloomberg recently reported that Benko was in serious trouble in the capital market: the current troubles drove a Signa bond into the basement. High flights for Benko currently only take place in a private jet.
Such flyers also appear in other economic cases. For example, in 2009 Julius Meinl was detained with the fact that he was always available.
Source: Krone
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