- The Trent public prosecutor’s office has apparently issued an arrest warrant against René Benko, the founder of the insolvent real estate group Signa.
- Other people were arrested, including the Bolzano economic consultant Heinz Peter Hager.
- The investigation involves suspected credit fraud.
Specifically, Benko is suspected of having faked the solvency of his already insolvent Signa Group so that banks could extend their loans. The responsible public prosecutor’s office announced that investigations were now underway against Benko, against another person and against a subsidiary of the Signa Group.
However, Benko’s Austrian lawyer Norbert Wess does not assume that a European arrest warrant will be executed against Benko. The lawyer did not comment on the reasons for this assessment. “Mr Benko will continue to cooperate fully with all national and international authorities, as he has done so far, and is confident that any allegations against him can be clarified as incorrect,” Wess wrote to the German Press Agency.
The Austrian entrepreneur Benko had built up a large portfolio with his Signa Group. According to the insolvency administrator, the total claims against Benko add up to around 2.4 billion euros.
KEYSTONE/DPA/Marcel Kusch
A police search is underway in Bolzano town hall, Italian media report. A total of 100 searches were carried out on Tuesday on other people who were being investigated. The target was companies and public institutions in the provinces of Trento, Bolzano, Brescia, Milan, Pavia, Rome and Verona as well as abroad. The measure, adopted by the Trento District Court at the request of the public prosecutor, is reportedly the result of a complex investigation carried out by the Italian police and the tax police.
Accused of several crimes
According to the Trent public prosecutor’s office, the charges against the individuals include the formation of a criminal organization, manipulation of tenders, illegal party financing, undue influence, fraud, unlawful receipt of benefits to the detriment of the state and various crimes against public administration, including corruption, inadmissible incitement to act, disclosure of official secrets and omission of official acts. In addition, there are violations of tax regulations in connection with the issuance of invoices for transactions that were not actually carried out. According to a statement from the Trent public prosecutor’s office, the presumption of innocence applies until possible conviction.
Heinz Peter Hager – a dazzling figure in South Tyrol
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Some of the people under investigation influenced and controlled public administration decisions, particularly in the area of construction speculation in Trentino-South Tyrol. The entrepreneurs involved are said to have made themselves available to finance the local government’s election campaigns and then to obtain concessions, simplified procedures and concessions for their real estate projects.
As the legal representative of some companies, Heinz Peter Hager is also involved in these investigations. He is President of WaltherPark AG. He has been René Benko’s partner for more than ten years.
The business consultant has been involved in many real estate projects for years. He achieved a high level of fame through the “Waltherpark” project in Bolzano. “Heinz Peter Hager has offered the investigators full cooperation and expresses great confidence in the judiciary,” said the press office of the well-known Bolzano auditor.
As part of an extensive investigation by the Trent public prosecutor’s office into various real estate projects in northern Italy, investigations are also underway in South Tyrol. The investigations concern projects between 2018 and 2022.
A total of 77 people are affected by the investigation, including 11 public administration officials, 20 managers and officials from local authorities and investment companies, members of the police, freelancers and also a number of South Tyrolean entrepreneurs. According to Italian media reports, nine people have been placed under house arrest so far.
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