The public prosecutor's office is already investigating the resigned RBB director Patricia Schlesinger. The state audit offices in Berlin and Brandenburg are now investigating the broadcaster itself: its remuneration systems and controversial construction projects. The test should last several months.
In the RBB crisis, two state audit offices intervened and checked the public broadcaster's controversial remuneration system and the media house construction project that had been put on hold. The Berlin Court of Auditors announced that a joint audit had been agreed with the Brandenburg Court of Auditors. A spokesman said that the overall audit of the ARD broadcaster Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB) is expected to take several months. The auditors look at the following: the remuneration system and the employment contracts of senior employees, the overall economic situation of the station, the organization and performance of tasks by the supervisory bodies and the preparation of the construction project for the digital media house.
Aim of the test: "Recommendations for those responsible in politics should be derived from the test results. These can serve to create better legal framework conditions for the RBB, but possibly also for other broadcasters in Germany." In this way, crises in public service broadcasting and a loss of trust among the population could be prevented, it said. The media house project was stopped amid allegations of nepotism against the director Patricia Schlesinger, who was fired without notice, and the resigned station chief controller Wolf-Dieter Wolf.
Gradually it became clear that the costs originally mentioned would shoot up immensely - more than 180 million euros are now in the room. Part of the allegations are questionable consulting contracts for the project. The original plan was for the media house to be built on the RBB site in Berlin-Charlottenburg by 2026. Editorial offices should be able to work with one another in a spatially networked manner. Schlesinger and Wolf rejected allegations of felt. For example, the broadcaster's remuneration system and bonuses for executives, which were not made transparent, are also criticized. Last week, the RBB board of directors had announced that the controversial bonus system for executives would be abolished.
The Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office searched the broadcaster's management area on Saturday. Investigations are being carried out on suspicion of infidelity and acceptance of benefits against Schlesinger, her husband and former "Spiegel" journalist Gerhard Spörl and against Wolf. The presumption of innocence applies until clarification. Spörl had received coaching orders from the state-owned Messe Berlin – Wolf was also chief supervisor there until his resignation. The courts of auditors do not focus on the area of criminal investigations.
