RBB scandal: Schlesinger should be fired without notice

DPatricia Schlesinger, Director General of Rundfunk Berlin Brandenburg, who has resigned, is to be dismissed without notice today. The broadcaster’s broadcasting board, which is meeting for a special session at 4 p.m. in the afternoon, has received a corresponding application. The ARD “Tagesschau” and the “Bild” newspaper report on the Broadcasting Council’s plan.

Demands for Schlesinger’s dismissal without notice had been made by state politicians from Brandenburg and the German Association of Journalists (DJV). Erik Stohn, member of the Broadcasting Council and Brandenburg SPD state politician, told the German Press Agency that he had the clear expectation that the supervisory body would take steps to immediately separate Schlesinger without severance pay.

“Reasons in the person of Mrs. Schlesinger”

In the presentation by the Broadcasting Council Chairwoman Friedrike von Kirchbach for the special session, from which the “Bild” newspaper quotes, it says: “The Broadcasting Council of the RBB recalls Patricia Schlesinger from her position as director of the RBB with immediate effect. The dismissal is due to reasons relating to Ms. Schlesinger that would justify an extraordinary termination of the employment contract by the RBB.” The reason for the immediate dismissal is “the settlement of entertainment costs for an invitation with dinner in Ms .2022 compared to the RBB”. This was reported as “necessary for work”, “although it was entirely or at least partially of a purely private nature”.

Patricia Schlesinger had resigned from her post with reference to her service contract. This – which she is said to have negotiated alone with the resigned Chairman of the Board of Directors Wolf-Dieter Wolf – provides for a “notice period” of six months in the event of a resignation. That would mean that Schlesinger would formally remain in office until the end of February 2023 or receive a severance payment. The Broadcasting Council apparently wants to prevent this. However, the body, which currently has 28 members, can only decide on Schlesinger’s dismissal without notice, which requires a two-thirds majority. The Board of Directors decides on the question of a severance payment.

Patricia Schlesinger faces numerous allegations. There are said to have been souped-up accounts for business meals more than once. Her salary increase of 16 percent to 303,000 euros per year is criticized, as is a bonus of allegedly 20,000 euros, the alleged private use of a luxury company car, the procurement of the same, the luxurious conversion of the executive floor in the RBB for 650,000 euros, consultancy contracts during construction of the planned “digital media house”, a rental deal with Messe Berlin, whose supervisory board chairman was the chairman of the board of directors of RBB Wolf. It is also about consulting contracts for Schlesinger’s husband, the journalist Gerhard Spörl, at Messe Berlin. Before the meetings of the board of directors, reports the web portal “Business Insider”, which uncovered most of the incriminated cases, there were informal preliminary talks that were not recorded. There are also said to have been confidential special reports. The incumbent chairwoman of the RBB board of directors, Dorette König, wants to end this practice.

Attorney General determined

Schlesinger and Wolf reject the allegations that have been leveled against them for weeks. However, they do not go public with the details of suspected nepotism. The Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating on suspicion of fraud and the acceptance of benefits.

On Tuesday morning at ten a.m., the main committee of the Brandenburg state parliament will deal with the RBB scandal. Schlesinger, Wolf and the head of the broadcasting council, Friederike von Kirchbach, had declined an invitation from the committee weeks ago. Now the managing director and administrative director of the RBB, Hagen Brandstätter, will appear. Brandenburg is currently in charge of legal supervision of the RBB.

ARD has meanwhile released Schlesinger. The film production subsidiary Degeto Film, based in Frankfurt, announced that the RBB director Brandstätter had recalled Patricia Schlesinger as a “member of the Degeto supervisory board.”