Exclusive
Status: 10/13/2022 4:04 p.m
Because she is under investigation, the legal director of rbb is currently released. If her contract ended, she would obviously be entitled to lavish pension entitlements. The new director finds this “amazing”.
Shortly before Christmas 2020, the former signs rbb-Intendant Patricia Schlesinger the service contract of the legal director of the rbbwhich has it all: The director receives a basic salary of 195,000 euros gross per year, as well as a “variable remuneration” of up to 8.33 percent, as well as a monthly expense allowance of 250 euros plus a flat rate vehicle allowance of 500 euros.
Lush supply scheme
The special thing about this contract, the ARD political magazine Contrasts of rbb could see is the pension and survivors regulation. According to this contract, the Director is entitled to a lifetime pension upon termination of the contract. This is calculated from an agreed annual remuneration of EUR 212,719 (basic salary plus variable component).
If the director’s contract were to end today, she would apparently be entitled to 50 percent of her base salary from next month, which would be around 106,000 euros a year – that’s what the contract stipulates. With each additional year of service, the pension increases by one percentage point, up to a maximum of 60 percent. The pension should also be paid in the event of occupational disability or disability. The legal director’s contract is limited to five years and will end at the end of 2025.
After the public prosecutor’s investigations against those responsible for the rbb were also extended to the lawyer, she was relieved of her official duties. It is about the suspicion of infidelity and aiding in infidelity because of other contracts in rbb, which she is said to have concluded with. This was to avoid any appearance that the investigation against them could affect the work of the legal department, the current director Katrin Vernau was quoted as saying in a press release from the station.
Spouse, children and surviving dependents also provided for
There is a separate clause in the employment contract for the surviving dependents: In the event of death, this guarantees a widow’s pension of 60 percent of the pension that would be due on the day of her death. According to the current status, that would be extrapolated at least around 60,000 euros per year. Orphans received 20 percent of this and those who lost one parent received 12 percent of the pension. The widow’s and orphan’s benefits would be paid monthly.
In addition, other dependents are also provided with a so-called “death benefit”. According to the contract, this includes not only the spouse, but also biological and adopted children, relatives in the ascending line, siblings and siblings’ children as well as stepchildren, if these persons are part of the family household at the time of death rbb– Lawyer have heard. This “death benefit” amounts to two twelfths of the last total salary or the amount of twice the monthly contribution of the pension. That could be a mid-five figure sum for anyone.
Perks allowed
If the director draws her pension before she retires, she is also entitled to “income from self-employment or employment”. For example, the lawyer could work part-time as a lawyer and earn up to 50 percent of the net amount from the last agreed total remuneration – “without there being any offsetting obligation.” If she retires, “the credit-free amount increases to 90 percent.”
On October 8, 2020, the rbb Broadcasting Council elected her Legal Director. “He followed a suggestion by director Patricia Schlesinger,” says a press release. Broadcasting Council member Erik Stohn (SPD) has not seen the service contract to this day. That the Legal Director of the rbb more than the Prime Minister of the State of Brandenburg earns, Stohn finds unspeakable.
The Prime Minister’s salary is currently around 15,500 euros per month. For comparison: Without “variable remuneration”, the lawyer had a monthly salary of around 18,200 euros until she was released a few days ago. “It must be the task of a new board of directors to stick to the salaries of the public sector in the future,” Stohn explains contrasts.
Board of Directors does not know contracts in detail
But even the current board of directors does not exactly know the service contracts of the directors, writes the acting chairwoman, Dorette König, on request. Only basic data was given. She would not be authorized to talk about content.
To contrasts-Information also have other directors of rbb similar contracts. The employment contract of the former administrative director, which Kontraste was also able to see, is almost identical in parts. The contract was presented to him, he said on request. He was informed verbally in advance about the remuneration. Mrs. Schlesinger wanted to contrasts-Do not ask about the employment contracts.
The Legal Director shares contrasts– Inquiry that she personally negotiated the salary in her contract with Schlesinger. The other terms of the contract were given to her – by whom, she does not say.
Employment lawyer considers contracts to be partly immoral
According to the contract, the rbb only from quote: “important reason” (paragraph 626 BGB), i.e. if facts are available, which is why a continuation of the contract cannot be expected. The new director, Katrin Vernau, said on request from contraststhat she knew the contracts and found them “amazing”.
Nadia Pröpper-Schwirtzek, a certified compliance lawyer specializing in employment law, considers the remuneration and pension claims in the contracts to be clearly inappropriate and therefore partly immoral. And further: “The retirement regulations are also too broad, because here contribution money can be distributed not only to the directors, but also to a large circle of their family members.”
The Vice Dean of the Faculty of Law at Humboldt University, Prof. Martin Heger, says: “The contract could possibly result in criminal breach of trust for the person who drew up these contracts. Such a contract is clearly to the detriment of the rbb and should never have ended like this.”