Trial of ex-RBB chief Schlesinger opens in Berlin

According to the Tagesspiegel, the trial over alleged breach of trust (Untreue) at the public broadcaster RBB has opened at the Berlin regional court. Besides former director Patricia Schlesinger, 65, three other former executives are on trial: Wolf-Dieter Wolf, 82, the former chair of the administrative board, former administrative director Hagen Brandstäter, 67, and the then legal director, 54.

The Berlin Prosecutor General's Office alleges that between January 2018 and July 2022 the accused damaged the broadcaster's assets by a little over 1.7 million euros. Schlesinger faces 26 counts, Wolf 13, Brandstäter five and the legal director six. The indictment covers variable pay allegedly paid without the required approval of the administrative board, allowances, payments under early-retirement and release arrangements, ten dinners at Schlesinger's home and a trip to London. Prosecutors say the last two were private expenses.

Schlesinger's lawyer, Oliver Sahan, said the allegations are firmly rejected. He said she wanted to make the broadcaster more efficient and break up outdated structures, and that she has become the "chosen scapegoat" held publicly responsible for inefficiency in public broadcasting. All defence lawyers say the administrative board knew about the pay system. The defence also says the dinners served the broadcaster's interest.

Separate civil cases are also under way, in which the broadcaster demands about 1.78 million euros back. More than 50 further trial days are scheduled until the end of June 2027. The accused are presumed innocent until a verdict.