Benko sentenced to two years imprisonment – acquitted in gilded rifle case
René Benko has been sentenced at first instance to two years imprisonment for serious fraud against the Haselsteiner family foundation. In proceedings regarding a gilded hunting rifle, he was acquitted.
First-instance verdict in Innsbruck: Benko guilty in Haselsteiner case
René Benko has received another prison sentence in Innsbruck. According to krone.at, the Signa founder was sentenced at first instance to two years unconditional imprisonment for serious fraud against the family foundation of Hans Peter Haselsteiner. The verdict is not final.
According to the court, Benko had persuaded Haselsteiner to advance him five million euros with a personal guarantee. The judge found it proven that Benko had assured him of repayment. Haselsteiner himself had testified in court that Benko had sworn to him "on his life" that he would repay the money: "That was agreed between us." Haselsteiner explicitly denied that a share purchase was the background to the transaction.
Intercepted phone call incriminates Benko
On the second day of trial, an intercepted telephone conversation from the period after Signa's insolvency was read out. In it, Haselsteiner accused his former business partner of stalling: "No one believes you that you no longer have five million."
Additionally, businessman and restructuring specialist Erhard Grossnigg testified, a long-time friend of Haselsteiner's who had been tasked with rescuing Signa at the time. He described the corporate structure as extraordinarily complex: "I have never seen a company like this." He had to spend several days dealing with the structure of the Signa construct alone.
Acquittal in proceedings concerning gilded hunting rifle
In the second strand of proceedings, the case concerned a luxury hunting weapon with gold embellishment valued at 80,000 euros. Benko is alleged to have concealed the rifle from the insolvency administrator and creditors in order to prevent or diminish the satisfaction of creditor claims. The 49-year-old denied the charges: the rifle had "simply been overlooked," and he had kept it because he had been the person "responsible under firearms law." The court followed his argument and acquitted him.
Second verdict within a few months
At the end of September, Benko had already been sentenced in Innsbruck in a separate matter to 30 months unconditional imprisonment for fraudulent insolvency. He is currently in investigative custody, which he serves by means of an electronic ankle monitor in an Innsbruck apartment. The current verdict is also not yet final.
Source: Google News AT — Crime (de)