The Innsbruck Regional Court has sentenced 49-year-old René Benko to 30 months of unconditional imprisonment for fraudulent bankruptcy. The verdict is now legally binding after both the defense and the public prosecutor declined to file further appeals.
The case involved a 300,000 euro gift to Benko's mother and a 360,000 euro rent prepayment for a villa. While Benko pleaded not guilty and claimed he believed the Signa Group restructuring would succeed, the court recalculated his total prison sentence.
This final ruling follows a Supreme Court intervention that overturned a previous acquittal. Benko's testimony marked his first in criminal proceedings related to the Signa collapse, ending a legal battle over assets transferred during the firm's insolvency.