Court approves Benko’s electronic house arrest

An Innsbruck court has approved a request to transfer Signa founder Rene Benko to electronically monitored house arrest, ORF reported. His lawyer, Norbert Wess, said the decision was made at a detention review hearing on Wednesday morning.

Wess said he expected Benko to move to house arrest later this week. A separate 60-square-metre apartment has been rented in Innsbruck for the arrangement, to spare Benko’s family, according to information reported ahead of the hearing. Benko attended the hearing in person in his hometown.

According to the Kurier, the Economic and Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (WKStA) submitted a six-page statement opposing the ankle monitor. Wess argued that Benko could properly prepare for the upcoming complex proceedings only outside prison.

Benko, 49, was sentenced in late September to 30 months in prison without parole for fraudulent bankruptcy. The sentence became final. Having already served two-thirds of it through time in pre-trial detention, he was conditionally released from that sentence because the court found no reason to rule otherwise. His pre-trial detention was then immediately resumed.

Benko is due to face another trial at Innsbruck Regional Court on November 4 and 5 over allegations of serious fraud and fraudulent bankruptcy.