Signa founder René Benko has now faced a new conviction, extending his total René Benko sentence to 30 months unconditional imprisonment. This latest ruling from the Innsbruck Regional Court concerns fraudulent bankruptcy. Benko, 49, has maintained his innocence throughout these proceedings.
The new verdict focuses on an advance rent payment of approximately 360,000 euros. This sum was for a luxury villa located in Innsbruck’s Hungerburg district. Investigators found the contract was signed in autumn 2023, a period when the Signa Group already faced financial instability, with no objective necessity for the payment.
Judge Norbert Hofer, presiding over the lay judges’ panel, explained the court’s decision. He stated Benko had “knowingly accepted that creditors would suffer harm” by arranging the contract. The primary aim was securing housing for his family. However, the court acquitted Benko of a separate charge regarding damage to creditors’ interests through prepaid operating costs.
This hearing marked a continuation of a trial from October 2025. Benko had previously received a two-year prison sentence. That conviction related to an impermissible 300,000 euro gift to his mother, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court (OGH). The OGH, however, overturned his prior acquittal on the villa rent prepayment and referred the case back to Innsbruck.
Consequently, the total length of Benko’s unconditional prison sentence has increased by six months to 30 months. The court acknowledged his previously clean record as a mitigating factor. Nevertheless, aggravating factors included the repeated nature of the offenses and the substantial amount of damage caused. This ruling, specifically regarding the rent arrangement and its severity, is not yet final.
For the first time during the Signa insolvency criminal proceedings, Benko made a detailed personal statement. He asserted a strong belief in successful restructuring as late as the end of 2023. At that time, he claims to have invested another two or three million euros into the Signa Group, stating he “wouldn’t have done that if I hadn’t been convinced of it.”
Benko also defended the lease terms, stating they were consistent with market conditions. Furthermore, he sharply criticized the Public Prosecutor’s Office for Economic Affairs and Corruption (WKStA). He accused them of relying on “allegations contrary to the case file.” Afterwards, he declined to answer further questions from the prosecution.
Public interest in the proceedings has visibly waned. Earlier court dates in autumn 2025 drew around 80 journalists. By contrast, only about 20 media representatives were accredited for this latest hearing. Nonetheless, the investigation into the Signa collapse continues. This case remains one of Europe’s largest economic insolvency events.
Extensive investigations are still underway against Benko and other former executives. These separate cases involve multiple charges. Therefore, the René Benko sentence for the villa fraud is just one part of a much broader legal inquiry.
