As of: February 7, 2024, 4:56 a.m
By: Markus Hofstetter
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Companions report how René Benko fell into overconfidence after initial success.
He was apparently encouraged by an important Signa manager.
Innsbruck - The Signa Group collapsed within a short period of time.
As the insolvency administrator of the real estate and trading holding company, Christof Stapf, announced, a total of 8.6 billion euros were registered in the insolvency proceedings of Signa Holding GmbH.
René Benko and the Signa bankruptcy: He believed he could turn everything into gold
The billion-dollar bankruptcy does not seem to have left its mark on the man responsible for Signa, René Benko.
As the
Tiroler Tageszeitung
writes, unnamed close confidants of the real estate tycoon report a “broken man” after Signa went bankrupt.
After initial successes in Russia, Benko seems to have lost his grip on the ground.
During this time he was “affected by a virus”.
“He suddenly believed that he knew everything about everything, that he could turn anything into gold,” the
Tyrolean daily newspaper
quoted a long-time employee as saying.
According to his confidants, René Benko is a “broken man”.
© Marcel Kusch/dpa
The result of this overconfidence was the entry into retail (Karstadt and Kaufhof and Signa Sports United) and into the media sector (Kronen Zeitung, Kurier) as well as the “megalomaniacal purchase” of the Chrysler Building.
He also maintained a luxurious lifestyle financed by Signa, including a plane, a property in Sirmione with a helipad, chalets in Lech and a villa in Igls, including staff.
René Benko and the Signa bankruptcy: his companion encouraged him in his views
Benko was particularly encouraged in his views by Dieter Berninghaus, who held a key position in the Signa Group.
“Once Benko and Beringhaus agreed on a strategy, a decision was made, then the train ran over it.
“It was no longer possible to counteract this from the outside,” said a Signa employee to the
Tiroler Tageszeitung
.
Benko was probably the de facto managing director of Signa until the end, even if he tried to hide this from the outside world.
He “had the reins in his hand” and instructed his employees and his managing directors, said Signa investor Hans Peter Haselsteiner on the news program
Zeit im Bild
.
“In my eyes, he shouldn’t shy away from that.”
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René Benko and the Signa bankruptcy: whereabouts are not known
According to the Tiroler Tageszeitung
, it is unknown
where Benko is currently staying .
However, despite the Signa insolvency, he can still be found in Vienna again and again.
There are various speculations about Berninghaus' whereabouts.
Accordingly, he could be undergoing treatment in the USA or may have gone into hiding.