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Of the Ibiza Research Committee wait again today and tomorrow with prominent witnesses to the economy. Real estate businessman Rene Benko was the first to appear before the U-Committee. He was named by former FPÖ chief Heinz Christian Strache in the Ibiza video as an alleged party donor.
The parliamentary groups want to take a close look at various real estate deals of the federal real estate subsidiary ARE and the federal real estate agency (BIG) in Committee U of Ibiza on Wednesday. While The leader of the green parliamentary group Nina Tomaselli, FPÖ parliamentary group leader Christian Hafenecker and The leader of the SPÖ parliamentary group, Kai Jan Krainer, assessed this critically, spoke ÖVP leader of the parliamentary group Wolfgang Gerstl before a survey of three “successful entrepreneurs”.
Relevant did not appear in the fully read opening statement of the billionaire who did not allow the camera to rotate. He is not involved in the daily business of the Signa Group. As chairman of its advisory board, he deals with strategy and further development issues. “I ask you to verify that I cannot give you all the details.”
Benko’s “touch points” with politics
In his opening statement, Benko said in his opening statement that his company, Signa Holding, had “points of contact” with politics, starting at the community level and spreading from the national to the international level, which it otherwise did not have. nothing to do with the subject of the investigation.
Benko widely publicized the activities of individual companies in his Signa holding, preferring to speak of “significant contributions to urban development” of his companies in many European cities. He repeatedly stressed the number of jobs his companies would provide, while his Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof in Germany is closing a number of department stores after the successful conclusion of insolvency proceedings.
“You have to ask Strache yourself.”
In Benko’s first questioning by procedural judge Wolfgang Pöschl, it was again the U-Committee’s research topics. Benko said there were no donations to political parties or affiliated associations. Benko commented on the former FPÖ boss who named him in the Ibiza video: “You know Strache, he likes to talk a lot.”
Benko had been mentioned by former FPÖ boss Heinz Christian Strache in the Ibiza video as an alleged party donor. Pöschl told Benko that today is not about the economic activity of his companies. “We can only ask you questions that address the subject of the investigation.”
“How did Strache come to say that Benko pays the ÖVP and Benko pays us, that is, the FPÖ?” Pöschl wanted to know. “You have to ask Strache, and I have no idea. He has already publicly apologized and called it a show. I can’t explain how he got there.” According to Benko, neither the Signa Group nor he personally have made donations to political parties or affiliated associations or organizations. Benko is unaware of indirect support (employment contracts, advertisements).
“Called from time to time”
Strache called him a few days before the Ibiza video was posted. “But he talked a lot about the bush. I only realized what he meant when I saw the excerpts from the video. You know Strache, he likes to talk a lot,” Benko said. “My impression was that he had a guilty conscience.” Still, one “phoned from time to time,” but not monthly or weekly.
After Benko, comes KTM boss Stefan Pierer, ÖVP’s main donor in election year 2017. answer questions from deputies about their monetary contributions to political parties.
Uniqa boss Andreas Brandstetter concludes on Wednesday. The issue of private company financing funds (Prikraf) will be on the agenda again.
You can follow the U Committee on the APA live blog. (apa)
