Status: 08/14/2022 20:37
The rbb broadcasting board wants to officially remove the sacked director Schlesinger from her post on Monday with immediate effect. So says rbb broadcasting board circles. She is accused of nepotism and exploitation.
Public broadcasting is still under pressure after the crisis surrounding sacked rbb director Patricia Schlesinger. On Monday, rbb’s broadcasting board will deal with her contract. I like that from Broadcasting Council circles, she shall be removed from office with immediate effect.
Initial suspicion: infidelity and acceptance of benefits
The Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating Schlesinger over the initial suspicion of infidelity and benefit acceptance. The allegations became known through publications in various media. They range from questionable consultancy contracts to an rbb construction project that has now been put on hold, a salary increase for Schlesinger to a good €300,000 and an additional bonus system.
It is also alleged food with “multipliers” at rbb costs in his private apartment and an expensive company car, which is said to have been heavily discounted. A week ago, Schlesinger announced his resignation as head of the Berlin-Brandenburg radio station.
The rbb broadcasting board, with 30 seats, currently has 28 women and men representing social, associative and political trends. The president is evangelical theologian Friederike von Kirchbach.
DJV: Immediate dismissal is better than contract termination
The president of the German Association of Journalists (DJV), Frank Überall, had already asked the Broadcasting Board not to act hastily when it came to terminating Schlesinger’s contract. An unannounced dismissal would be “certainly the best way”, wrote Überall in Tagesspiegel.
However, the committee must be mindful of “what payment obligations still arise from contributions made by citizens”. Whether Schlesinger’s actions warrant immediate dismissal remains legally open.