Thomas Knecht

""René Benko effortlessly meets all the points of the dark triad," Thomas Knecht certifies in a remote diagnosis. He was a forensic psychiatrist at the Psychiatric Center in Herisau, Switzerland, until mid-2023 and was a much sought-after expert in numerous trials. In the luxury life, Knecht sees the narcissism, in Benko's talent for winning people over for his ideas, the Machiavellianism. In addition, there is a certain ruthlessness in dealing with other people, at least when they were business partners."

""Pangs of conscience are rather insignificant among white-collar perpetrators. They often say: I haven't done anything that every bank doesn't do. They believe they were just unlucky," Thomas Knecht references the literature. One cannot speak of Benko as a perpetrator in the criminal sense at least in the summer of 2024, because up to that point not even an indictment had been made, and Benko denies any wrongdoing. However, the question of responsibility for the spectacular crash arises – and in Benko's megalomania, most answers are found."

""Pangs of conscience are rather insignificant among white-collar perpetrators. They often say: I haven't done anything that every bank doesn't do. They believe they were just unlucky," Thomas Knecht references the literature. One cannot speak of Benko as a perpetrator in the criminal sense at least in the summer of 2024, because up to that point not even an indictment had been made, and Benko denies any wrongdoing. However, the question of responsibility for the spectacular crash arises – and in Benko's megalomania, most answers are found."