Arrest warrant issued for former Mansion CEO after sentencing snub

An arrest warrant has been issued in Gibraltar for the former CEO of Mansion Group, Karel Manasco, who stands accused of embezzling money from the company.

According to GBC News, Manasco failed to attend his arranged sentencing for contempt of court on Wednesday 9 April but did not appear, instead issuing a statement through his solicitor.

Manasco’s legal representative argued that the judge in charge of the case, Chief Justice Dudley, had been biassed towards him throughout the case. Manasco also accuses GBC’s reporting of being biassed and Mansion Group and the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority (GRA) being involved in a conspiracy against him.

The charges of embezzlement stem from a series of payments made to a firm called White Wizard Media (WWML) between 10 August 2018 and 13 June 2019, with 14 invoices totalling €2.5m. A separate payment of £127,073 was also made to a consultancy firm.

Mansion Group claimed that WWML did not provide any services to it, and that these payments were actually transferred to offshore accounts held by Manasco. The former CEO was subsequently ordered by the Supreme Court to pay €2.5m and £127,073 to Mansion Group in September 2024.

This was preceded by a freeze of £5m Manasco’s assets in February after the court heard allegations of the executive paying himself bonuses he was not entitled to.

Manasco’s allegations of judicial bias against him initiated here, and he has stated that the freeze led to ‘antipathy and hostility’ against him in subsequent proceedings and rulings. The sentencing he was ordered to attend last week related to breaches of this asset freeze, deemed contempt of court.

The timing of the case in 2024 came after a difficult couple of years for Mansion Group, which had been building up its brand, international reach and the senior management team behind it for the past few years.

The company built up a notable presence in the UK with its sportsbook and casino platforms, including a presence in sports via sponsorship deals. However Mansion faced a turbulent 2020 blighted by management fallouts, COVID-19 pandemic and the closure of its sportsbook brands.

After initiating a market review, the company decided to close its UK sportsbook and focus on casino operations, leading to its sports sponsorship deals with the likes of Bristol City being shut down. In January 2023 it took this a step further and shut down its all UK facing brands including: Casino.com, MansionCasino.com and SlotsHeaven.com.

International activity in markets like Spain and Ontario continued for several more months but in October 2023 the company opted to close down all of its B2C brands. While its LInkedIn page states that it operates the Casino.com and MansionCasino.com, the link to its website shared instead takes users to the Casino.com affiliate website.

Meanwhile, the company continues to face friction in the legal case against its former CEO. Manasco’s sentencing for contempt has now been adjourned to 14 May.