Refused to testify at U-Committee: Benko must pay €700 fine

The Federal Administrative Court has imposed a penalty on Signa founder René Benko.

The parliamentary inquiry into the Covid financing agency Cofag has completed its work, but there are still other consequences from the investigations. The insolvent investor René Bencou was fined for refusing to testify. Under the decision of the Federal Administrative Court, Bencou must pay 700 euros. He can still appeal to the Constitutional Court or the Administrative Court.

Benco appeared as the only person to provide information to the U-Committee after several failed attempts and being exposed by the police. The businessman largely abstained by pointing to the countless proceedings against him and the largely bankrupt Signa group of companies. Finally, three mandatory sentences were requested for “refusal to testify.”

However, in two cases, Benko refused to testify, which the Federal Administrative Court has now found. The sanction already imposed relates to questions about “Chalet N”. The leader of the Neos faction, Yannick Chetti, wanted to know whether several former members of the government had visited Benko's luxury properties. The investor had told the committee that he would generally not answer any questions on the subject. (APA)