Schlesinger earthquake continues after resignation: "Now the clarification is just beginning"

Created: 08/08/2022, 12:12 p.m

Patricia Schlesinger (archive image from June 2022) © Hendrik Schmidt/dpa

Patricia Schlesinger gives up: After resigning from the ARD presidency, she also resigns as RBB director.

Update from August 8, 11:48 a.m

.: "The case does not end with the resignation of Ms. Schlesinger": Although Patricia Schlesinger has resigned as RBB director, the main committee of the Brandenburg state parliament wants to hear the allegations.

The invitations to the special meeting on August 16 are currently being sent out, said committee chairman Daniel Keller (SPD) when asked by the dpa.

Keller went on to say: "Now the clarification is just beginning." The board of directors and the chairwoman of the broadcasting council, Friederike von Kirchbach, would also be invited to the meeting.

Brandenburg currently has the legal supervision of the RBB.

In mid-July, Schlesinger and representatives of the two bodies did not accept an invitation to a hearing in the committee.

This had caused outrage in Brandenburg politics.

Radio quake draws wider circles: Schlesinger also resigns as RBB boss

First report from August 7

: Berlin – Patricia Schlesinger resigns as director of the public RBB.

"Patricia Schlesinger is resigning from her position as director of Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB) with immediate effect and resigning as head of the station," the public broadcaster announced on Sunday.

Public broadcasting: Schlesinger recently gave up the ARD presidency

Schlesinger had previously given up the ARD presidency during the week.

The RBB is "giving up its duties as the managing institution within the ARD with immediate effect," said the broadcaster on Thursday evening.

The background is, among other things, allegations of personal enrichment.

It is about consulting contracts for an RBB construction project that has now been put on hold and orders for Schlesinger's husband at the state-owned Messe Berlin.

There is also criticism of a significant increase in Schlesinger's salary to a good 300,000 euros and the procurement and use of her company car, for which the car manufacturer is said to have granted a very high discount.

Dissatisfaction was also caused by the fact that Schlesinger, as RBB boss, received guests in her private apartment several times and billed the costs for food and drinks via the ARD broadcaster, which is financed by contributions;

the billed costs are said to have been incorrect.

In the ARD Tagesschau on Sunday evening there was no report on Schlesinger's personnel.