Crisis in rbb leadership: Director Vernau announces the end of the administrative director

Interim director Katrin Vernau has announced another personal consequence of the affair about possible nepotism and waste at Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (rbb).

Together with the board of directors, it was decided to prematurely end the employment relationship with the ill administrative director Hagen Brandstätter, Vernau said on Monday in the media committee of the Berlin House of Representatives. Production and operations director Christoph Augenstein and program director Jan Schulte-Kellinghaus, on the other hand, will continue their activities for “organizational and financial reasons”.

The meeting took place together with the Main Committee of the Brandenburg State Parliament responsible for media matters.

after the The General Prosecutor’s Office had extended investigations to the managers of the rbb board, the legal director Susann Lange was released ten days ago. However, the presumption of innocence applies, according to Vernau. The clarification of these personal details is the prerequisite for being able to plan the future of rbb efficiently.

In addition, work is being done at full speed on a more effective internal control system: the deficiencies in internal auditing and revised auditing regulations are already in place. The next step is to address the issue of compliance. The head of the rbb board of directors, Dorette König, who also spoke in the committee, criticized the fact that existing compliance regulations did not meet the requirements and that rbb needed a compliance officer who was independent of the management and who reported directly to the board of directors. However, some of the basics have already been laid for this.

Interim director Vernau emphasized that not only the rbb, but also the Berlin and Brandenburg audit offices as well as the law firm Lutz-Abel and the public prosecutor’s office are working to clarify the events at the rbb.

When heavily criticized Vernau was unable to announce any developments regarding the bonus system for executives. Due to individual contractual regulations, it has not yet been possible to formally abolish the bonus system for current contracts. However, she had all recipients asked whether they were prepared to waive the payments. According to Vernau, 20 out of 25 non-tariff employees have already agreed to do so.

Employee representatives, on the other hand, emphasized in the committee that recently disclosed details about the directors’ pensions had caused great displeasure among the employees: “Many speak of immorality,” said Sabine Jauer, chair of the staff council. From their point of view, the contract must be thoroughly examined. “The outrageous thing is that the executives are getting together to fill each other’s pockets,” said Freelance representative Christoph Reinhardt. “You can’t allow such offers and that’s what the legislature is there for, to set such limits.”

Interim director Vernau finally promised the employees that they would be included in the future planning for rbb in a participatory process. Here, too, Jauer emphasized: The employees of the rbb would like to have a lot more say, especially in the election of the future director.

Broadcast: rbb24, October 17, 2022, 6 p.m