Austria's economic and political establishment has been shaken by the bankruptcy of the Signa Group around René Benko. His pre-trial detention has been extended once again, with his latest application for release unequivocally rejected by the Vienna court—casting a sharp spotlight on Austria’s justice system and the deepening Signa Crime Case.
New documents and emails allege that Martin Wittig—Kühne + Nagel board member and ex-Roland Berger boss—pocketed a hidden CHF 1.59 million commission from a Signa unit after introducing Klaus-Michael Kühne to René Benko in 2019. Kühne, who ultimately poured ~€500 million into Signa Prime, now says he was “betrayed.”