Prosecutors again drop case against KuGes chief

Prosecutors in Feldkirch have again dropped an investigation into Monika Wagner, head of Vorarlberg’s cultural venues operating company, over suspected document forgery, ORF reported Friday. They said they could not establish that the use of a digital signature was intentional.

The case concerned the alleged use of former Vorarlberg State Theatre director Stephanie Gräve’s digital signature to prepare a contract without her consent. Wagner described it as an “unintentional administrative error.”

The investigation was first closed in June, then reopened for additional inquiries after a party to the proceedings requested that it continue. Further inquiries, including witness interviews, apparently yielded little new evidence. Prosecutors said they still considered the use of the signature beyond the agreed terms to have resulted from a mistake. The decision was sent to the parties on Friday.

Gräve filed a complaint against Wagner on May 10. The KuGes supervisory board, representing the company owned by the state of Vorarlberg, backed Wagner. Gräve was initially put on leave and was dismissed in June.

Relations between Gräve, KuGes and the state had been strained since March, when it emerged that her contract, due to expire in mid-2028, would not be renewed. Gräve, a German national born in 1968, had wanted to continue until 2030. At the end of August, Vienna director Ali M. Abdullah took over as interim artistic director of the State Theatre for the 2026/27 and 2027/28 seasons.