Like Benko Luxury watches, diamond rings and 120,000 euros in cash hidden

There is another chapter in the investigation against the Austrian real estate investor: When searching a house in Tyrol, officials from the Signa special commission found a secret hiding place in which high assets were stored. This reported that the investigation report was present.

In the basement of the house in the municipality of Pfunds, where the aunt of the wife Benkos lives, according to the report, a safe was discovered – behind empty wine boxes, which should probably serve as camouflage.

The reason for the search was apparently a hint by a former bodyguard Benkos. This was arrested a few months before his ex-boss. During his interrogation, he then told how he observed the removal of Benkos Villa in Igls at the end of 2023.

Because the bodyguard expressed the assumption that valuables stored in the safe, the Soko Signa had it examined. However, the “Handelsblatt” reports that this was not so easy: Benko’s wife Nathalie stated that he had forgotten the code. The Soko finally cracked the safe with the help of the manufacturer.

In the safe, expensive jewelry was found, bundle of cash of 120,000 euros and watches worth 230,000 euros.

One model is particularly valuable: a Patek Philippe Nautilus with a market value of over 100,000 euros. The safe also contained watches from Rolex luxury brands, Audemars Piguet, Cartier, Hublot, IWC, Omega and Breitling.

In addition, according to the report, several rings and cufflinks were found, some of which were occupied with diamonds and rubies. According to the “Handelsblatt”, Benko had mentioned these assets in his asset overview, but made no statement where they are.

Relatives of Nathalie Benko, who were asked about the matter, said to the police that Benko’s wife asked her to be able to keep some things in the Aunt’s House in the Speror. But since she hadn’t had any, she offered to get a safe. The request to be allowed to “assume” this with you was fulfilled.

Benko himself explained that it was simply important to his wife to keep some things outside the villa in Igls.

René Benko is currently in custody. In two months at the latest, the Vienna Regional Court must decide whether the custody will be extended again. The Economic and Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (WKStA) suspects him, among other things, the infidelity, fraud and fraudulent bankruptcy.

According to investors, Benko is said to have cheated on investors and hid assets from authorities, creditors and insolvency administrators. The public prosecutor has recently been investigating whether a million-of-a-signal company was illegal to a family foundation in Benko’s environment. The WKStA has already completed a report on the initial investigation results, which means that the possibility of an indictment has moved closer.

Benko had built up a complex company network in the low interest rate phase. For example, he invested in the Galeria Warehouse Group, the Luxury department store KaDeWe and the Hamburg Elbtower project. In addition to internal problems, Signa was brought down from rising interest rates, energy prices and construction costs.