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René Benko sentenced to two years for aggravated fraud
The Innsbruck Regional Court has sentenced Signa Group founder René Benko to two years of imprisonment without parole for aggravated fraud. This sentence is an addition to a previous 30-month sentence for creditor damage, bringing his total prison term to four and a half years.
The court found that Benko defrauded the family foundation of industrialist Hans Peter Haselsteiner of approximately 5 million euros. According to prosecutors, Benko provided a false guarantee in November 2023 to secure funds for the sporting goods retailer SportScheck, shortly before the Signa Group's insolvency. Haselsteiner testified that he would not have provided the funds without Benko's personal assurance.
Benko was acquitted of a separate charge involving the alleged concealment of a luxury hunting rifle valued at 80,000 euros from insolvency administrators. The presiding judge, Norbert Hofer, ruled that the evidence did not support the claim that the weapon was being hidden from creditors. The verdict is not yet legally binding, and the defense has three days to decide on an appeal.
Entities
Economic and Corruption Prosecutor's Office · Hans Peter Haselsteiner · Innsbruck Regional Court · René Benko · Signa Group · SportScheck
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 9 SOURCES] The previous sentence of 30 months was for creditor damage. ameve.eu · lebensmittelpraxis.de · www.cash.ch · www.devdiscourse.com · fenix-magazin.de · +3 more
- [● 11 SOURCES] René Benko was sentenced to two years of imprisonment for aggravated fraud. ameve.eu · lebensmittelpraxis.de · www.cash.ch · www.devdiscourse.com · fenix-magazin.de · +5 more
- [● 5 SOURCES] The total prison sentence for Benko is now four and a half years. ameve.eu · lebensmittelpraxis.de · www.cash.ch · www.merkur.de
- [● 11 SOURCES] The victim of the fraud was the Hans Peter Haselsteiner family foundation. ameve.eu · lebensmittelpraxis.de · www.cash.ch · www.devdiscourse.com · fenix-magazin.de · +5 more
- [● 8 SOURCES] Benko was acquitted of the charge of concealing a hunting rifle worth 80,000 euros. ameve.eu · lebensmittelpraxis.de · www.cash.ch · www.devdiscourse.com · fenix-magazin.de · +2 more
- [● 8 SOURCES] Benko used a false guarantee to obtain funds for SportScheck. lebensmittelpraxis.de · www.cash.ch · www.devdiscourse.com · fenix-magazin.de · www.finanzen.ch · +2 more
- [● 6 SOURCES] The verdict is not yet legally binding. ameve.eu · lebensmittelpraxis.de · www.cash.ch · www.leadersnet.at · www.tagesschau.de
- [● 11 SOURCES] The fraud involved approximately 5 million euros. ameve.eu · lebensmittelpraxis.de · www.cash.ch · www.devdiscourse.com · fenix-magazin.de · +5 more