René Benko: Signa founder in custody wants to go to house arrest

The Economic and Corruption Public Prosecutor's Office (WKStA), which is conducting the investigation against Benko, did not want to comment on the application when asked. The habeas corpus hearing is a matter for the court, said a spokeswoman.

Defense attorney Wess justified the request by saying that the transfer was necessary in order to better prepare for the upcoming trials. He referred to the right to a fair trial enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights. For this purpose, an apartment measuring around 60 square meters was rented in Innsbruck, also to protect Benko's family environment, said the lawyer.

Benko was only legally sentenced to 30 months in prison in September for fraudulent Krida. This criminal offense, which is common in Austria, involves the intentional reduction of assets to the detriment of creditors in the face of impending insolvency.

After his conditional release after serving two-thirds of the sentence, his pre-trial detention was immediately continued in another case. The 49-year-old will have to appear in court again in November. The WKStA accuses him of serious fraud in connection with a guarantee to the former Strabag boss Hans Peter Haselsteiner and his family foundation.

Benko was arrested as part of the investigation into the collapse of his real estate and trading group Signa. The bankruptcy of Signa at the end of 2023 is considered the largest bankruptcy in Austria's post-war history. The company network also included well-known German department stores such as Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof and Berlin's KaDeWe.