Felt allegations: RBB director Schlesinger in distress

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Allegations of nepotism: RBB director Patricia Schlesinger

Photo: Britta Pedersen / dpa

When the Brandenburg state parliament dealt with allegations of nepotism, consultancy contracts and expense affairs in Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB) in a specially convened special session on Tuesday, one key person stayed away from the event: Patricia Schlesinger, head of the station and until the end of 2023 the entire ARD.

The self-confident director is currently surrounded by a whole bunch of allegations that were first reported by the medium "Business Insider". 

They concern the former head of the board of directors of the station, but also dinner, in the accounting of which irregularities are said to have occurred.

And they concern things about which Schlesinger had promised complete clarification.

The list of accusations is actually long:

• Wolf-Dieter Wolf, chairman of the board of directors of the RBB, is said to have provided Schlesinger's husband and former SPIEGEL journalist Gerhard Spörl with lucrative consulting jobs in his role as chairman of the supervisory board of the state-owned Messe Berlin.

  Overall, according to "Business Insider", the contracts should have a total value of 140,000 euros.

• Another accusation concerns the Digital Media House (DMH), which is to be built by 2026 - and whose planning apparently came about as a result of a series of questionable processes.

  Here the medium speaks of an "explosive system of mutual favours."

  Accordingly, with the support of Schlesinger, several real estate experts with whom Wolf has business relationships received consultancy contracts for the media company.

• According to Business Insider, the “good relationship with the chairman of the board of directors” was not a disadvantage for the director herself either.

  The committee recently increased their basic salary by 16 percent – ​​to EUR 303,000 per year.

  Wolf alone also decides on a financial bonus that Schlesinger receives.

• In addition, regular dinners with catering service in Schlesinger's private apartment were apparently billed via the fee-financed broadcaster.

  According to »Business Insider«, guests from politics, business and culture were well fed.

  Invoices, on the other hand, were subsequently changed at the request of the broadcaster.

Compliance Investigations and Consequences

Since Springer-Verlag's online magazine reported on the allegations at the end of June, no stone has been left unturned in the broadcaster.

Schlesinger, Wolf and RBB vehemently deny to the public that there were irregularities in the awarding of contracts.

There are no indications that something outside the so-called compliance rules happened.

In addition, the broadcaster is examining legal action against "false and distorted forms of reporting" that consist of a "mixture of assumptions, insinuations and wrong conclusions".

Nevertheless, a compliance procedure, for which the external law firm Lutz Abel was hired, is now intended to clarify the processes.

Messe Berlin has also launched its own investigation.

And the reporting has already had its first consequences.

The RBB explained on Monday evening that the plans for the controversial digital media company, in which the entire news production is to be coordinated in a few years, will be paused until the allegations have been clarified.

The chairman of the board of directors, Wolf, has resigned, he suspended his office a few days ago.

Politics increases pressure on Schlesinger

In the Brandenburg state parliament, displeasure with the behavior of the station management is now growing, director Schlesinger is openly questioned by some politicians.

The »Berliner Morgenpost« quotes Marlen Block, judicial policy spokeswoman for the left faction, among others: By continuing to exercise her office as director and as ARD chairwoman, Schlesinger is not doing herself or the investigations any favours.

Within the Greens group, too, there is a demand for quick answers to written questions that you want to put to the director.

"Trust in public service broadcasting is more important than individuals," said parliamentary manager Marie Schäffer to the medium.

In addition to Schlesinger, Wolf-Dieter Wolf and Friederike von Kirchbach, chairmen of the Broadcasting Council, also stayed away from the special session in the state parliament.

In a written statement, the artistic director expressed her regret: "Regrettably, she cannot participate" due to the ongoing compliance procedure - and "will not make any public statements beyond this at the moment."

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