By Michael Sauerbier
Berlin’s Greens call him “O. J.” Oliver Jarasch (53) rose from being a TV reporter to a highly paid manager at RBB. Yesterday, the husband of Green Senator Bettina Jarasch (54) had to explain his salary to the RBB committee of inquiry.
An e-mail affair made Oliver Jarasch known in the fall. She revealed: The RBB department head should become TV program manager. Without a tender – and even though his wife is Deputy Prime Minister.
In the U-Committee he was asked about his salary. Jarasch: “Only to the exclusion of the public!”
There is also no answer to the question of who pays his legal adviser Daniel Krause. The RBB has already transferred 160,000 euros to the criminal lawyer. Because of the investigations of the public prosecutor’s office against the transmitter.
Greens top candidate Bettina Jarasch and husband Oliver on their way to the polling station for the new election in February 2023 Photo: Axel Heimken/dpa
Behind closed doors, Jarasch admitted an annual salary of around 150,000 euros – including a 10 percent bonus. “I thought that was appropriate,” he said, “I had no doubts about its legality.” After the scandal, RBB abolished the boss allowances.
The four fired RBB directors and ex-director Patricia Schlesinger even received a 20 percent bonus – up to 40,000 euros per year. At her request, the bonuses were also introduced for the station bosses in 2017, a management consultant revealed on the witness stand.
“There was a system of wasting public money,” said Brandenburg’s Media Secretary Benjamin Grimm (38, SPD) on the witness stand.
He had to explain to the committee why the legal supervision of the RBB had failed. “I only found out about bonus payments, dinner, business trips and the explosion in costs at the digital media company from the media reports,” Grimm admitted.
Brandenburg’s Media Secretary Benjamin Grimm (38, SPD, l.) Photo: Michael Sauerbier
So far, he has not drawn any consequences from the scandal. “We were assured that the RBB committees would clarify the legal violations,” he said, “we will evaluate the final report and then see whether we still need to take action – for example with a complaint.”
Legal supervision cannot do more. Grimm: “Because of the state distance of broadcasting stipulated in the Basic Law.”