Austrian tycoon Rene Benko sentenced to 2 years in prison for fraud
Austrian businessman Rene Benko, who suffered a major fall from grace after his real estate empire, Signa Holding, went bust, was handed two more years in prison.
Austrian businessman Rene Benko has been sentenced to an additional two years in prison for defrauding €5 million from the private foundation of industrialist Hans Peter Haselsteiner. The Innsbruck Regional Court found Benko guilty of this crime, marking his third criminal proceeding, following two previous convictions. The payment from Haselsteiner was made just weeks before Signa Holding, which Benko had built into a property empire worth over $30 billion, declared insolvency.
This marks the most recent legal setback for Benko, who was previously sentenced in October 2025 for insolvency-related fraud and in September 2026 for harming creditors. The 49-year-old Benko, who was released on house arrest following a previous conviction, has the option to appeal the latest conviction. Benko's lawyer stated that they would review the decision over the weekend.
Despite his earlier success, including being hailed as a self-made entrepreneur, Benko's legacy has been tarnished by the collapse of Signa Holding and subsequent legal troubles.
Written by urgent.news from DW English (Top Stories)'s reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
