Austria's Supreme Court on Thursday upheld ex-billionaire Rene Benko's first of two convictions for insolvency-related fraud, for which he was sentenced to two years' prison, but ordered a retrial on a second count on which he had been found not guilty.
The case centred on hundreds of thousands of euros transferred to Benko's mother in late 2023 when his Signa property group was already in financial difficulty. Prosecutors said it was an attempt to keep the money from creditors. Benko, who did not attend the appeal hearing, denies the accusation.