Trento Prosecutors Indict René Benko and 36 Others for Mafia-Type Criminal Association

Background of the "Romeo" Affair

The proceedings are at the center of the "Romeo" affair, which became public at the end of 2024. At the start of the investigation in December 2024, investigators said they had 77 persons in their sights. During the course of the investigation, a total of 100 searches were carried out on additional suspects in order to secure evidence and reconstruct the extent of the alleged network.

According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, the investigation focuses on a web of political and business ties in the Trentino-South Tyrol region. The Bolzano city hall also came into the investigators' crosshairs because decisions on permits and contracts allegedly connected to the charges were made there. The indictment relates to a milieu in which economic and political relationships were apparently deliberately exploited for personal enrichment.

Defendants and Scope of the Investigation

In addition to Benko, other well-known names are among the defendants, including the Bolzano-based attorney Heinz Peter Hager and Paolo Signoretti. The prosecution is basing its case on investigations that lasted years, during which dozens of searches, interrogations, and analyses of telephone and financial data are said to have been carried out. According to the prosecution, the aim of the indictment is to have the responsibilities of the individual participants clarified in court.

The preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for the 23rd. In this stage of the proceedings, a judge will decide whether the indictment will be admitted and whether the case will proceed to trial. Only then would Benko, who has so far not publicly commented on the charges, have to answer to a criminal court in Trento.

Preliminary Hearing on 23 July

The indictment casts a spotlight on the business practices of the former Signa founder, whose real estate empire had come under massive pressure in recent years. Benko had once built up the Signa Group as one of the largest real estate and retail holding companies in the German-speaking world. However, the charges now brought go beyond economic difficulties and concern the allegation of systematically infiltrating public administrative structures for personal advantage.

In Trento, investigators emphasize that the "Romeo" affair has significance beyond the individual case. They see in the proceedings evidence that economic power and political connections in the region may have been abused over many years. The Public Prosecutor's Office announced that it would continue to take consistent action against such structures in the future, regardless of the social standing of those accused.

Legal Classification of the Charge

Legal experts in Italy point out that the offense of mafia-type association is punished particularly severely in the Italian criminal justice system. A conviction can carry heavy prison sentences. Whether a conviction will actually result now depends on the outcome of the preliminary hearing and a possible main trial.

The reporting on the indictment is attracting attention in both Austria and Italy, as Benko played a prominent economic and media role in both countries. While Benko's lawyers have so far not commented on the charges in detail, Italian media have announced that they will closely follow the start of proceedings on the 23rd.