The furnishings of a villa in Italy used by property tycoon René Benko have gone under the hammer as part of auction proceedings following the insolvency of his company Signa Holding.
The 1,712 items, listed on the website of auction house Aurena, provide an insight into the world of the Signa Group and its founder Benko.
The items up for auction include metal sculptures of female figures, baroque-style seating furniture and a magnificent black toilet with gold ornamentation.
Collectors can also purchase a guest book in which Tina Turner, Niki Lauda and Silvio Berlusconi have immortalised themselves.
Also read:German banks pay millions to settle claims by insolvent Signa
Objects for auction from the bathroom of Benko’s villa on Lake Garda © Photo credit: Auktionshaus Aurena/dpa
The asking prices in the online auction, which ends on 14 July, range from €3,800 for a video surveillance system to €1 for a toilet brush.
According to Aurena, the villa with a helicopter landing pad was rented from Signa Holding – but the name Benko is on a door sign. The property itself, with its twelve-hectare plot of land, is not up for sale at the auction.
Company founder in custody
Benko, 48, has been in custody in Vienna since January. Investigators are focusing on transactions between Signa companies, Benko and private foundations associated with him.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office for Economic Affairs and Corruption (WKStA) in Vienna suspects Benko of having concealed assets from the authorities, creditors and insolvency administrators. His lawyers have previously denied the allegations.
Benko had built up a complex network of companies during the period of low interest rates, investing in the Galeria department store group, the luxury department store KaDeWe and the Hamburg Elbtower project.
In addition to internal problems within the group, Signa’s collapse was precipitated by rising interest rates, energy prices and construction costs. Creditors are demanding €7.7 billion from Signa Holding.
(This article was originally published by the Luxemburger Wort. Machine translated, with editing and adaptation by John Monaghan,)