According to dpa information, the RBB public service broadcasting board today dismissed Patricia Schlesinger as director. This formally initiates the termination of the contract. The 61-year-old resigned about a week ago as head of broadcaster ARD Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB) over numerous allegations of nepotism. A few days earlier, she had already retired as head of the ARD.
The case plunged the broadcaster into an unprecedented crisis, which is also affecting all public service broadcasters. Schlesinger has been a director since 2016. His second term was supposed to last until 2026. The businessman and journalist faces numerous accusations of nepotism. In addition to the 61-year-old executive, the focus is on RBB’s chief controller Wolf-Dieter Wolf, who has also resigned. Both rejected the charges.
It’s also about questionable requests for Schlesinger’s husband Gerhard Spörl at Messe Berlin, where Wolf was also head of the supervisory board until his resignation. The Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating Schlesinger, former journalist “Spiegel” Spörl and Wolf on suspicion of infidelity and accepting benefits.