On Tuesday evening, Paul Ronzheimer got to the bottom of the German “bureaucratic madness” on SAT.1. Numerous examples of this were included in the report “Ronzheimer: How are you doing, Germany?” presented. It’s hard to beat the absurdity of a case that, according to the “Bild” journalist, “is more reminiscent of real satire.”

“The Bochum resident lives,” Jürgen Chudy is introduced in the film. In the summer of 2025, however, the pensioner was accused of the opposite. He remembers a conversation with his bank advisor. “He says: Mr. Chudy, you’re dead. You have to hand over all the credit cards now.” He was puzzled and asked why. “You see, I’m alive! I’m sitting in front of you, that’s an absurdity, it can’t be right.”

Jürgen Chudy was invited to his own will reading

Nevertheless, his account was blocked. He also no longer received his pension payments. The case culminated in Jürgen Chudy receiving a questionable invitation. It is bizarre “if it is not noticed that the person who is supposed to come to the opening of his will is not dead,” complains the 73-year-old. That made him “terribly upset.”

Jürgen Chudy now knows that he was mistaken for his deceased wife. Last year, Thomas Sprenger, the press spokesman for the city of Bochum, explained: “On Friday, May 30th, C.’s death was reported verbally to the registry office by a funeral home. However, when the report was made, the deceased wife was confused with the husband.”

According to a report published last fall by the news portal “Der Westen,” it took weeks until Jürgen Chudy was finally declared alive again.

The entire report “Ronzheimer: How is Germany doing? – Bureaucracy madness” can be seen on Joyn.