Trento, 12 June (LaPresse) – Further legal troubles for former Austrian tycoon René Benko, who has been in custody since 23 January last year following the billion-euro collapse of the Signa Group, of which he was the head. The Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office for Financial Crimes and Corruption has filed a third indictment against Benko. According to reports, the charge put forward by the investigators is aggravated fraud. The prosecution alleges that in November 2023, at the height of the Signa crisis, Benko obtained €4.99 million from a foundation run by a close friend on behalf of Signa Holding, personally guaranteeing the sum with a notarised affidavit. The judicial authorities, however, claim that the money was intended to bail out Sportscheck, one of the group’s companies, which subsequently went bankrupt. Benko’s defence team, represented by lawyer Norbert Wess, rejects all charges and is preparing to lodge an appeal. The Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office also accuses the former tycoon of having misappropriated a hunting rifle worth €80,000 from the creditors’ estate. Benko is also under investigation by the Trento Public Prosecutor’s Office as part of a major inquiry into alleged links between politics and business capable of influencing public contracts.