After a court odyssey

Court odyssey around theater berserker Manker: creditors search for him in vain

Paulus Manker is now officially considered "absent", much to the annoyance of the court and creditors.(Bild: Zwefo)

Scandalous director Paulus Manker and Südbahnhotel Kultur GmbH from Semmering (Lower Austria) have been at war for months. Now things are getting tighter and tighter for the artist, but he is using a new trick to evade his creditors. He is now considered "absent". Is the thriller about the artist approaching its final act?

On March 26, Manker's Alma Theaterproduktion GmbH was to be seized due to debts owed to Südbahnhotel Kultur GmbH. However, the situation was not quite that simple: "The seizure was not carried out because no attachable items were found," according to the enforcement report, which was also made available to the "Krone".

There were no recoverable items to be found either in the private apartment or at the company's location (both in Vienna). The apartment and office were therefore virtually empty. According to the register, the company's assets amounted to a whopping minus 44.17 euros. "So is the artist broke, or has he long since taken his possessions to safety from pesky law enforcement officers?" the creditors asked themselves.

Since the eviction from the Südbahnhotel, creditors have been wondering where Manker's assets have gone.(Bild: Reinhard Holl)

Broke, illegal and absconded?
People remember only too well that his productions "Alma" and "The Last Days of Mankind" at the Südbahnhotel am Semmering had grossed more than a million euros. However, the whereabouts of the money are still unclear.

This is probably why Manker also lost a recent lawsuit against the Südbahnhotel. According to a ruling by the Vienna Higher Regional Court (OLG), the termination of the contract by Südbahnhotel Kultur GmbH in April 2023 was lawful due to breach of contract. Manker should therefore not have been allowed to play at the Südbahnhotel.

(Bild: zVg)

However, no action can be taken against the creative artist, as he is now also considered "missing". In his function as managing director, he has been unavailable for months and has reported himself "absent" (see facsimile). Until the end of July. Court documents could not be served.

Manker did not want to explain himself to the "Krone" either.