Overview

• Innsbruck State Court delivered the first verdict tied to Signa’s collapse, convicting Benko of fraud and imposing a two-year prison term.
• Judges acquitted him on the portion concerning about €360,000 in advance villa payments, but found him guilty over a €300,000 transfer to his mother.
• The case addressed roughly €660,000 that prosecutors said he sought to keep beyond creditors’ reach during his insolvency.
• Benko pleaded not guilty, has been in custody since his January arrest in Innsbruck, and declined to answer questions during the hearings.
• Authorities are investigating more than a dozen others, and Benko still faces additional proceedings, including alleged concealment of cash and luxury watches worth about €370,000, with 14 cases pending reported by Deutsche Welle.