By Michael Sauerbier
The RBB director Patricia Schlesinger (61), who was fired without notice, was probably even more greedy than previously known. She is said to have billed at least eight (!) private vacations as business trips. Paid by our compulsory fees!
Since last summer, dozens of examiners have been digging through mountains of documents from Schlesinger’s six years as director. Receipts for dinner, travel, expenses that were paid for by the RBB. Because they were supposedly required for work.
But during Schlesinger’s trips to London, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Tel Aviv, London, Oslo, Tokyo and Zurich, the examiners could not identify any “official reason”, reports “Business Insider”. In some cases, the broadcaster boss is said not to have even given a reason for the trip.
The RBB demands a six-digit amount from its former boss Photo: soe;cse sab
The summit: Schlesinger is said to have taken family members with him on individual trips at the expense of her daughter, who was born in 2000. She had the hotel costs reimbursed by the RBB. According to the examiners, “taking over the travel expenses of relatives is in no way compatible with the travel expenses regulations, even in the case of real business trips.”
Now, in addition to years of bonus payments, the broadcaster is also demanding back the costs for false expense reports from its ex-boss – a total of six figures. The Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating charges of infidelity and fraud against the fired director.
Schlesinger’s lawyer Ralf Höcker contradicts: “The allegations are all false and in some cases constructed in a downright bizarre and embarrassing way in order to justify the unjustified dismissal afterwards. None of this will stand up in court.”
Schlesinger, in turn, sued RBB for around 18,000 euros in monthly “pensions”. In the meantime she has reduced the amount – because she now has income from a new job for an “international company”.