Krone investigative journalist Rainer Fleckl knows the Signa construct from years of journalistic research – including as one of the two authors of the bestseller “Inside Signa – The rise and fall of René Benko”. Now in an interview on krone.tv he makes people sit up with explosive details about the real estate juggler and the Signa Group.
When initially asked whether Benko still believed his statements in the investigative committee and whether he was generally trusted, Fleckl said: “That was Benko’s second appearance before a U committee. In his first in 2020, he has already made several tactical waves. I believe the collapse of the opaque Signa construct is an isolated incident. It was all very complicated. I think he has limited credibility there. Remember, he always claimed that Signa was this wonderful model group, if not the largest real estate group in Europe, with great properties in city center locations. And suddenly this real estate construction collapses. I think it stands for itself.”
Was Benko “de facto director”?
The question arises whether Benko’s statement that he was not the actual director of the Signa Group will stand up in court? Fleckl said succinctly: “In my opinion not. All our research over many months and years strongly contradicts this. After his conviction in 2013 for attempted prohibited intervention, Rene Benko lost all his organ functions and the sentence has now been paid off. There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of evidence that he continued to be involved in every little detail even afterward. He negotiated with banks and closed the biggest deals. So, as his largest co-investor Hans-Peter Haselsteiner says, he was de facto director and should accept this responsibility.”
If he were actually the de facto director, he would be liable for his actions, just like any other director formally registered in the commercial register. There are only a handful of people close to him who have been board members of both Signa and its foundations. Fleckl: “It is also a unique mix. But that will still be a major problem in some processes.”
Benko has one of its Signa managers, Markus Mühlberger, who has worked for him for twenty years, in more than 200 positions in the company register. He himself once introduced Mühlberger to a small group as ‘Signature August’. So this is not a name created by malicious media that does not mean well for Mr. Benko.
Sebastian Kurz was important to Benko
About Benko’s political connections, the investigative journalist says: “Sebastian Kurz and Alfred Gusenbauer were very important for the Kurz system. Gusenbauer quickly moved to Benko after leaving the chancellery and initially worked for the Tyrolean department store in Innsbruck. That was Benko’s breakthrough to the top flight. Kurz was very important to Benko at a much later stage. According to our research, he became active as early as 2022, shortly after he left politics. He was mainly active in the Middle East to set up financing there.”
Consciously showing off
Rene Benko’s professional and private life often overlap. This is reflected in the approximately 1,500 companies that exist at Signa. Fleckl: “He used his 64 meter yacht and flew somewhere by plane and with the helicopter and guests. And that was a professional dinner. There were also stars like Tina Turner in Chalet N. It is deliberately ostentatious to portray this legend of an entrepreneur who turns everything he touches into gold. Whatever the costs. But the end is known.”
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Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
