According to Austrian media reports, Signa founder René Benko was arrested on Thursday morning. The Austrian economic and corruption prosecutor’s office had the entrepreneur of the insolvent group arrested in his Innsbruck villa. The 47-year-old is accused, among other things, of having bypassed the insolvency estate and withdrawing money that would have to go to creditors. He is also said to have obscured this act. For this reason, detention was ordered and an examination was to follow on Friday.
Since the Signa Group went bankrupt about a year ago, Benko has been under investigation in several countries. In addition to a house search of his villa, the public prosecutor’s office in Munich investigated those responsible for Signa. Investors complained about embellished numbers and deceptions.
